The Bad Influence
by xMorbidxAngelx
Summary: Everyone said he was the bad seed, the bad influence and that she shouldn't get involved with him. Will she listen to advice or find out for herself?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter I**

There are many types of jobs that suit one person more than another, but there are some people who simply chose a job for the money rather than how suited they were to the role and Rin Nakajima definitely fell into the latter category. At the age of 24 she had graduated from university and found herself struggling to find a way of paying her rent and a mountain of student debts to repay. Desperate for a job, she had accepted the first position that had been made available to her and even after working at the establishment for nearly a year, she still wondered why she had chosen this place to work. Surely there had been other jobs available to her? She couldn't for the life of her remember what had possessed her to take up a job in a bar and couldn't fathom why she had chosen to apply to possibly one of the worst bars in the city.

The place was not in the best neighbourhood and tended to attract the people banned from other more classy bars. When she had first started working there, the manager had told her that she would act as a waitress during the day as the bar would serve as a restaurant during the day, but she had yet to see anyone come into the building asking for a meal at any time of the day or night. The establishment didn't look particularly inviting either, which was probably why it attracted such strange people. It consisted of one large room that always seemed to be darker than any normal room regardless of how much lighting there was and smoke perpetually hung in the air as no one seemed to pay any mind to the signs that prohibited smoking inside the building. The wooden floor creaked with every step and numerous stains coloured the boards while the furniture was seemed to be a mixture of new items and older ones that seemed on the verge of collapse.

Rin shook her head as she stepped into the dark building and coughed slightly as the ever present smoke filled her lungs. It was not the most pleasant sensation but she was used to it now. The smell of mould and smoke filled her nose and she grimaced as she made her way to the backroom to get ready for her shift behind the bar. There was no dress code for the staff as nothing other than alcohol mattered to the men who visited the bar and it was rare for them to take notice of what the staff wore, unless it was a low cut shirt. Rin had learnt on her very first day that low cut shirts were a definite negative in this place as she would immediately become centre of attention. She was the youngest woman working in the bar which she also learnt made her very appealing to the drunks who dropped by.

As she slipped into her usual place behind the bar and after making sure everything was in its place, Rin looked around the room and smiled to herself as she noticed a few regulars had already arrived despite it only being just after 6pm. The usual group of men stood by the pool table at the back of the room, arguing and spilling their drinks as always while a few men who sat at the bar nodded and tipped their hats at her when she turned her gaze to them. Despite their love of alcohol and sometimes questionable personal hygiene, Rin found that most of the regulars were actually quite pleasant people and had sometimes had conversations with them when she had a free moment.

Most of the regulars were nice, but as always, there were always one or two who simply couldn't control their tongues and tempers and there were also those who were the complete opposite and were silent no matter how hard she tried to draw them into conversation. There were very few silent men, but there was one regular who fitted that description perfectly. He had truly terrified Rin when she had first started working at the bar, but she had now learnt to read his actions as easily as she could read those of any of the other regulars. He was the tallest man she had ever seen and towered over her; she was willing to be she would have to crane her neck to look up at him if they were to stand side by side. In comparison to everyone else who came to the bar, this man was always impeccably dressed, but were he to go anywhere else, Rin was sure he would not be viewed as such. He always wore dark jeans, black boots and a dark shirt with its buttons half undone. The few women who ventured into the bar always made a beeline for him only to leave with an aura of misery after him rejecting them.

The table at the back of the room but in clear view of the bar was reserved for him or rather, he had claimed it as his own and no one seemed to question it. From that table he would watch the events of the evening unfold with a cigarette in one hand, a drink in the other and his long legs propped up on a nearby chair. Rin would sometimes cast him a glance and wonder how he managed to be so at ease in this place. It truly baffled her, but she supposed that he didn't have to worry about being overpowered by a drunken man like she did. No one knew anything about him except his usual drink and preferred brand of cigarettes, but fortunately, he never caused problems and almost seemed to take on the role of dealing with the scuffles that broke out late in the evening much to Rin's relief.

Tonight however, he was not there and Rin could only guess that he would be arriving later as there had not been one night she had worked when he had not been there. Smiling to herself, she slid a small glass across the counter to a young looking man who smiled gratefully as he sat on the nearest bar stool. Rin sighed softly as she looked around again. It seemed like it might be a quiet night, not that there was anything wrong with that, but sometimes it could get quite boring.

"Cheer up, love," the man she had just served said with a wink. "It ain't all that bad."

Rin smiled. "True."

"It's real quiet here. Is it always like this?"

"No. People start arriving at about 7 so there's a little peace and quiet for a while."

"You got rowdy regulars?"

"No, it's everyone else that's rowdy," Rin said with a smile and then gestured at the men standing by the pool table. "They're probably the rowdiest of our regulars."

"They ain't that bad."

Rin was about to reply when the door opened and a blast of cool winter wind blew into the room. The very man Rin had been expecting to arrive at some point stood in the doorway, the dim yellow light of a nearby street light shining over his shoulder. She smiled to herself as she made her way to the refrigerator to fetch his usual beer and pausing to pick up a new packet of cigarettes. Turning around to make her way over to his usual table, Rin was surprised to find him standing at the empty end of the bar and her eyes widened as she saw him take a seat. Perplexed, she shrugged off the strange behaviour and placed both the beer and cigarettes down in front of him, offered him a small smile before returning to her conversation with the newcomer.

"It's cold enough to freeze the balls off a pool table out there!" the man exclaimed as she returned, casting a glance out the small window nearby.

Rin laughed merrily. "I've never heard that one before."

"Oh yeah?" the man grinned at her and lit a cigarette. "What's a girl like you doin' in a place like this?"

"Just a bit of extra money until I can find something else."

"Yer boss is two bricks shy of a full load, y'know?"

"Why?" Rin tilted her heard to one side as she wondered what the man meant.

"A pretty girl like you shouldn't be workin' in a place like this," he replied as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Ain't right I tell ya. You should be workin' someplace better."

Rin giggled to herself, now used to the flattery most men showered on her. Before she could reply, there was a loud snort of amusement from a man a little further down the bar who Rin knew was called Osamu. The unknown man she had been talking to glanced sideways at the older man and raised an eyebrow. Rin glanced around quickly and noticed that Osamu had caught the attention of nearly everyone at the bar, including the silent man who had still not moved from his new seating position.

"You got somethin' to say, old man?" the younger man asked, flicking ash from his cigarette into the empty ash tray.

"Yeah she shouldn't be workin' in here, but if she didn't, who'd we talk to, eh?" Osamu said casually and smirked when he heard a few other regulars grunt their agreement.

"So you think it's okay for a girl like her to work here as long as she gives you alcohol and talks to ya?"

"If that's what she wants, then I don't see a problem," a man sitting beside Osamu said with a shrug. "Besides, she's nice to us so we look after her in return."

"I bet you drunks do a fine job of that," the younger man muttered, exhaling a large cloud of smoke into the air in front of him.

"Now, now," Rin murmured, wrinkling her nose slightly and waving her hand in front of her face to clear the air. "They do look after me and this place isn't that bad."

The man raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a look that clearly said he didn't believe her, but Rin simply shrugged and turned to serve the newest arrivals. She was aware that most of the men at the bar were now watching her and sighed to herself. The downside of working behind the bar alone was that she tended to be the centre of attention and while that didn't normally bother her, she could sense tension in the air and prayed that there would be no fight. She didn't really want to return to being the centre of attention so she looked around for something to occupy herself with and her gaze was caught by the silent man at the end of bar beckoning her over.

Rin was still slightly intimidated by him, but she had learnt that she didn't need to fear him. She approached and gave him her usual cheerful smile as she placed another bottle on the table in front of him and reached for the empty one. Her smile fell when a large hand closed around her wrist as she started to turn away. Brown eyes widened in surprise as she looked into the man's amber eyes and realised that his hair was not white as she had always thought, but was in fact silver. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to question his actions but never got to voice her question.

"Are they bothering you?" he asked, his voice deep and gravelly.

"N-No, it's fine," Rin replied with a smile after a moment. It came as a surprise to hear him speak; he had never spoken to her before.

"Your name is Rin?" he asked, looking at the name badge pinned to her shirt.

She nodded. "You've been coming here as long as I've worked here but I don't know yours."

"Sesshoumaru," the man said quietly after looking at her through narrowed eyes for a moment.

Smiling happily, Rin nodded and turned away to dispose of the empty bottle unaware of the amber eyes that followed her slim figure. Sesshoumaru watched as she seemed to hesitate before returning to the group she had been speaking to before and thought over what he had heard. It was true that the bar wasn't the ideal place for Rin to be working, but he had to agree with Osamu. She was the only member of staff who bothered to talk to the regulars, although he had always distanced himself and chose to watch instead of listen. It was also true that most of regulars had developed a fondness for the young woman and would gladly walk across hot coals if it meant being graced with her smile and her attention. Sesshoumaru, however, had never really paid much attention to her before, but now realised why the other men always spoke so highly of her. He had been expecting her to recoil in fear when he spoke to her, but she had smiled instead and what a smile it was.

His attention was brought back to the present when he heard the sound of voices getting louder and looked across to the source of noise. The unknown young man was now leaning across the seat beside him to shout at Osamu who shouted in retaliation. Much to his surprise, they were still arguing over Rin working at the facility and he looked at the woman in question to find an expression of exasperation on her face. Her eyes closed for a moment before opening and narrowing at the arguing pair. Other people in the bar were beginning to pay attention to the little scene and Sesshoumaru wondered if perhaps he should step in as he always did and break up the argument before it became a fight. However just as he was about to get to his feet to walk over to the arguing pair, a loud bang made them quiet and caused everyone, including him, to stare in surprise.

Rin was generally a placid person by nature, but even she had grown irritated with the two men arguing over her career choice as though they had a rightful say in where she worked. What had started as a pleasant evening was swiftly turning sour and she eventually lost her patience and temper with both men. Slamming her hands down on the bar in front of her had caused everyone to stare at her unusual display of irritation.

"That's enough!" Rin said in a stern voice similar to one that a parent might use when admonishing a child. "I work here because I need the money and neither of you have any right to question my career choice when you're sitting in this place drinking most of the day. Be good boys and finish your drinks quietly or I'll throw you out."

Osamu smirked and returned to his drink, while the younger man glared at the petite woman. He clearly didn't like being told what to do and by a woman no less. The glare became more heated as she stared back at him, her arms crossed over her ample chest and he opened his mouth to speak but was cut off.

"I'm giving you a chance," Rin said in a warning tone.

"You wouldn't throw me out," the man scoffed as he leaned back in his chair and looked at her with a confident expression.

Rin sighed to herself and uncrossed her arms as she made her way down to the entrance to the bar area. The manager had taught her what to do in these situations although she had never had to do anything about it before as someone else had usually gotten rid of the person in question. However, this time, she was left to do it alone and she couldn't let the man intimidate her. She was well aware that nearly everyone's eyes were following her as she slipped out of the bar area and started walking around to where the man sat, still looking confident. As she passed Sesshoumaru's seat she noticed that there was something that looked like amazement shining in his eyes, but she couldn't be sure and didn't care much about anything other than getting the troublesome man out of the bar.

"What you goin' to do, missy?" the man questioned her as she approached and stopped in front of him. "You're so small you couldn't hurt a fly."

Brown eyes glittered with anger as Rin struggled to control her temper. She was not the tallest of people; in fact, she wasn't even what was considered to be 'average height.' Normally, her height didn't bother her, but at that moment, she was in no mood to take insults from an over confident man who couldn't control his tongue.

After failing to contain her anger, Rin had simply reached up and slapped the man as hard as she could. While he was still reeling from the shock of what had just happened, she seized the opportunity to grab the front of his shirt and pull him out of his seat and over to the door. Shouldering it open, she pushed him roughly out into the cold and glared at him.

"It's cold enough to freeze the balls off a pool table out here," Rin said in an expressionless voice as she quoted the man's earlier statement. "Hope you don't get to too cold."

Without another word, she stepped back inside and closed the door firmly, making her way back over to the bar. After a moment, the chatter returned as shock over what the petite woman had just done faded and Rin sighed to herself as she returned to the bar area. She was very lucky that that man had not been strong or willing to put up a fight because she knew that she could not have managed what she had just done otherwise. Her gaze landed on the man's abandoned drink and she picked it up, hastily moving over to the little kitchen area through a nearby door and placed it on the counter for washing. Feeling eyes on her, Rin turned around to find Sesshoumaru watching her. A blush crept over her cheeks, but she put on a brave face and smiled at him before busying herself with refilling drinks.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Sesshoumaru had watched the petite woman's little display with something akin to amazement. He hadn't thought that she would have been capable of carrying out her threat, but she had surprised everyone and by the looks of it, even herself. The rest of the evening had been quieter and there had been no more fights. Rin was kept busy and Sesshoumaru had the ideal vantage point to observe the fierce woman. He noticed that she was easy to amuse and always had a smile for everyone, even him it seemed as every time she refilled his drink, she smiled cheerfully. The woman was intriguing and for the first time in a long time, Sesshoumaru felt his curiosity piqued.

He had waited patiently until he knew that her shift would end and left a few minutes before her, choosing to stand outside for a little while to clear his head and have another cigarette. It had only been a short wait for him before the door opened and Rin stepped out, mumbling something to herself. A silver eyebrow rose in silent amusement as he watched her fumble with the buttons on her long coat and then wrap her scarf around her neck. She didn't notice his presence until she turned around and nearly walked into him. Gasping in surprise, she stepped back and looked up at him, craning her neck just as she had predicted.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't see you."

Sesshoumaru shrugged and leaned back against the wall of the building, pushing his free hand into his pockets as he let his gaze settle on the woman standing nearby. He blew a cloud of smoke out into the air and leaned his head back against the wall when she made no move.

"That's bad for you, you know," Rin said softly, wrinkling her nose slightly as she inhaled some of the smoke. "The drinking is as well."

"My language is pretty bad too," Sesshoumaru replied with a smirk as he turned his head to look at her.

"So are your jokes."

Rin watched as the man smirked at her comment and looked up at the sky for a moment before closing his eyes and exhaling another cloud of smoke. Her fingers itched to reach up and pull the cigarette from his lips, but she knew better than to try it. Instead, she watched him carefully, knowing that she should be on her way home, but found herself unable to leave. She had to admit that the man was handsome, far too handsome to spend his time in a bar in her opinion, but she supposed he had his reasons. Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and looked down at her, holding her gaze as he waited to hear what she would say next.

Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to hear what she was going to say as there was a loud shout from down the street. Both of them turned towards the sound and Rin's eyes widened as she saw the man she had thrown out of the bar earlier walking rapidly towards them with an expression that showed his displeasure. He didn't spare Sesshoumaru a second glance and made a beeline for Rin, glaring ferociously as she wondered what he planned. Rin never found out what the man had planned on doing because he was soon flying towards the ground after tripping over the leg which Sesshoumaru had extended. There was a muffled yelp as he collided with the ground and then a soft groan before he was trying to get up on his feet. Rin watched in awe as Sesshoumaru casually landed a blow on the back of the man's neck as he struggled to his feet only to be sent flying forwards again. Pushing himself off the wall he had been leaning against, Sesshoumaru took a step towards the man lying on the ground and rolled him onto his back with his foot, lip curling slightly in disgust as he looked at man.

"No harm done," Sesshoumaru said with a shrug as though this sort of thing happened on a regular basis. Nudging the man with his foot, he frowned. "I suggest you leave."

Rin watched in amazement as the man scrambled to his feet and fled down the street. She had always known that there was a chance of people bearing a grudge against you if you threw them out, which was why she always left that job to others, but she was very lucky that Sesshoumaru had been there.

"Thank you," Rin said softly, still slightly amazed by what she had just seen.

"No problem."

"I should be going."

After giving him a smile, Rin turned on her heel and started to walk away down the street. The street lights only provided small amounts of light and she was glad that she wasn't fearful of the dark or the trip home would be impossible since most of the streetlights in this area were not working. Just as she was about to turn the corner, Rin was pulled to a stop by a firm grip on her elbow. Looking around she saw Sesshoumaru standing behind her, looking down at her from his great height with a serious expression.

"You're going to walk home in the dark?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I always do."

"A man just tried to attack you, does that not bother you?"

"There's not much else I can do," Rin replied, not knowing where the conversation was going.

"Come," Sesshoumaru stated, turning and walking back towards the building.

"Where?"

"I'll give you a ride home."

"I…uh… it's fine, don't worry," Rin stammered, suddenly nervous. "It's not far and I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

"If it's not far then it's not an inconvenience."

Rin could find no fault with that statement and obediently followed him as he led her around the back of the building to where several cars had been parked. She looked at them and wondered which one belonged to him but was surprised when he walked past all of them and towards a motorcycle that she hadn't noticed. Staring at the helmet that he handed her, she almost laughed. A motorcycle instead of a car was somehow fitting for him. Sesshoumaru looked at her for a moment and when she showed no signs of putting the helmet on, he took it from her hands and placed it on her head, fastening it gently beneath her chin. It was only a few minutes later when they were about to leave that Rin realised that he wore no helmet.

"What about you?" she asked, peering over his shoulder and gesturing to her head.

"It's fine."

Sesshoumaru didn't give her a chance to reply as he set off, smirking to himself as he felt her arms around his waist tighten. He could tell she was tense by the stiffness of her body and wanted to tell her to relax, but decided against it and instead asked for directions. Just as she had said, her home was not far from the bar, but it was almost completely dark as all the streetlights were out. When they came to a stop in front of a tall apartment building, Sesshoumaru looked up at it and frowned. It didn't look like the most inviting place he had ever seen and he wondered if the apartments were as uninviting as the whole building. He looked at Rin who now stood beside him and handed him the helmet before looking at the building as well.

"Thank you," she said quietly, blushing slightly when she turned to find him looking at her intently.

"No problem."

"I'd invite you up for a drink or something, but it's late and I don't think my room mate will be pleased."

"Next time. You owe me," Sesshoumaru smirked at her bemused expression and gave her a gentle push towards the door.

"Next time," Rin agreed and smiled brightly before turning and heading towards the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

Rin had been slightly confused about why the stoic Sesshoumaru would show any attention, let alone concern, for her when he barely knew her, but had eventually given up trying to find the reason for his actions. He still came to the bar as he always did and would nod a greeting to Rin whenever he saw her which she would return with a smile. She was pleased that she had finally managed to get the man to talk and even though he hadn't said much; she had succeeded where many had failed. Sometimes he would emerge from the bar at the same time as herself and would give her a lift home, but that was very rare.

Although used to spending time alone, Sesshoumaru had found that the few times he spoke briefly to Rin were enjoyable and he was surprised that she always tried to get him to talk more. He had always been under the impression that he was uninteresting, but Rin clearly found him fascinating. The tiny woman was also interesting. He found his gaze landing on her more often than not and he was slowly learning how to read her body language. When she was interested in something, she sometimes tilted her head to one side which was, in fact, quite cute.

Watching Rin eventually became more of a habit than coincidence and Sesshoumaru found his attention captured by her graceful movements and incredible smiles. However, as time passed he began to notice subtle changes that apparently no one else had noticed. In the beginning, he thought he had simply been imagining things and had pushed aside his thoughts, but in the end, he realised that he had not been imagining what he saw. Since he had taken to coming to the bar earlier so he could see her arrive, Sesshoumaru first noticed that her usual punctuality had started to slip. She ended up arriving with only minutes to spare before her shift started and was always panting as though she had run a marathon. The next thing he saw were the dark circles beneath her eyes that steadily grew darker each time he saw her.

Eventually, other regular visitors to the bar began to notice the change in her as well although they wisely chose not to mention it for fear of upsetting her. Rin still smiled, but her smiles now seemed tired and her enthusiasm seemed to have gone. She no longer held long conversations with regulars and the way her hands shook slightly became glaringly obvious when she tried to pour drinks without spillage and failed more often than not. Although not keen to admit it, Sesshoumaru had joined the ranks of men in the bar who kept an eye on Rin sometime after speaking to her for the first time and was also among those who were somewhat baffled by the change in her usual cheerful disposition.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Rin!" the manager called her name as she made her way across to the exit at the end of her shift. "Do you have a moment?"

"Uh… not really," Rin admitted with a blush.

"I'll be quick then, if you want some extra shifts, write down the hours you're available and give them to me tomorrow so I can put your name down."

"I will," she smiled half heartedly. "Thank you."

Returning the wave the manager gave her, Rin left the building and stepped out into the cold night air. She pulled her coat closer around her and buried her hands in her pockets as she leaned against the wall beside the door. Sighing, she knew that she should make her way back home, but was reluctant to do so. After her room mate had moved out the month before, Rin was forced to foot all the bills on her own and was finding that the money she was earning from working at the bar was simply not enough. Seeing no alternative, she had found herself another part time job and usually worked from 7am until midnight or sometimes later depending on her shifts. A combination of long hours and anxiety over her future meant that she got very little sleep and sometimes got none at all. It was all beginning to take its toll on her and Rin knew that she couldn't keep up this lifestyle much longer.

Sighing softly, Rin pushed herself off the wall and paused for a moment to wait for her vision to clear. She was just about to take a step forward when the door beside her opened. Sesshoumaru sudden appearance caught her by surprise and threw her off balance. A strangled sound escaped her lips as she reached towards the wall again to steady herself. Amber eyes widened slightly as they focused on the woman pressed against the wall as though it was her life support and then narrowed as they took in her pale appearance.

"Are you alright?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her.

"I'm fine, thank you," Rin replied, her voice quavering slightly. "You startled me is all."

"I see. I'll give you a ride home."

"It's fine really," she insisted, trying to refuse as she had done the first night.

Sesshoumaru didn't reply and simply leaned against the wall, crossing his arms as he watched her. Her pale skin made the dark circles under her eyes stand out and he couldn't help but wonder what she did to make herself look like this. Eventually, she pushed herself off the wall and stood still, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them and looking directly at him.

"I'll be going now," Rin said quietly, turning around and slowly walking away.

Sighing at her stubbornness, Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her retreating figure and noticed that she seemed a bit off balance. Shaking his head slightly, he stood upright and dusted himself off; preparing to go after her and make sure she accepted his offer this time. He wasn't sure why he was so concerned about her when he knew that she could take care of herself, but he couldn't help himself. When he looked up, he found himself staring in surprise as she was nowhere to be seen. Frowning, he made his way down the street and turned the corner before coming to a stop, eyes widening when they landed on the very person he had been looking for. She had found a bench and sat down and he would've thought that she was looking up at the sky if her eyes hadn't been closed.

"You'll be ill if you sit there in the cold," Sesshoumaru commented as he sat down beside her.

"Maybe," Rin said quietly, the corners of her mouth quirking upwards slightly.

"That doesn't bother you?"

"No."

They sat in silence for a while before Rin sighed heavily and sat up straight, lifting her hands to rub her eyes as she tried to clear her blurry vision. She looked down at her hands for a moment before lurching to her feet and attempting to take a step forward. However, she finally paid the price after skipping meals and sleep as she felt her knees buckle beneath her and she waited to meet the cold pavement. Her eyes opened slowly when she didn't feel the pavement and looked down to find arms wrapped around her. Sesshoumaru's quick reflexes had allowed him to catch her before she hit the ground. They stood still for a moment before he pushed her down onto the bench she had just vacated and crossed his arms, frowning at her.

"You're fine, are you?" he asked, eyebrow rising slightly as he looked down at her.

"I'm fine," Rin insisted, wanting nothing more than to get home and away from the stubborn man.

"You need to go home."

"I was."

"You were sitting on a bench."

"It's on my way home."

"It's not your home though, is it?"

"Alright, alright," Rin sighed as she accepted defeat and leaned her head back against the back of the bench, closing her eyes again as she felt a wave of weariness wash over her.

"Wait here."

Rin didn't reply as she cracked an eye open to see the tall man disappear around the corner, his long coat whipping around his legs as he walked. She couldn't bring herself to care about where he had gone or what he was going to do and was content just sitting on the bench feeling the cold wind on her skin. Eventually she was struggling to keep her eyes open and pushing herself upright as quickly as her tired body would allow. It was potentially dangerous for a young woman to fall asleep on a bench in the middle of the night in this neighbourhood. She was about to stand up when Sesshoumaru reappeared with his motorcycle at his side and she almost smiled. He was still insistent on giving her a lift home and she no longer had the energy to argue, although why she had argued in the first place was beyond her.

Sesshoumaru swung a long leg over the machine and sat down, looking at her carefully as though considering something before beckoning her over. She looked unsteady on her feet but managed to totter over to him without falling and stood beside him with a vaguely curious look on her pale face. Instead of handing her the helmet as he had done before, he pulled her forward to sit in front of him, not trusting her to sit behind him in her current state. Rin gasped softly in surprise as she felt herself pressed against him but calmed herself after a moment and looked up at him questioningly. He merely shrugged before they set off and Rin was forced to bury her face in his shirt to avoid the cold air stinging her eyes.

After a short ride, Rin looked up to find them outside the apartment building she lived in and grimaced at the sight of it. It was truly an awful looking place, but given her financial state at the moment, it was all she could afford, although whether she could continue to afford it on her own was debateable. She allowed Sesshoumaru to help her to her feet and stood beside him, unsure of what to say. Eventually, she gave him a small smile and looked up at the building.

"You can come up this time, if you want to," she said quietly, knowing that she would owe him for this as well as all the other times he had given her a lift home.

Sesshoumaru looked at her carefully and wondered if perhaps that would be a good idea. Given that she had already almost fallen, she would probably pass out on her way up the stairs or something. Nodding, he got to his feet beside her and waited for her to make a move. Rin gave him another vague smile before turning around and making her way towards the entrance with him in tow. As always, the elevator wasn't working, but she wouldn't have used it anyway. It would probably stop half way up and she would then be stuck in a dirty elevator until it was fixed or someone rescued her. It didn't matter though, her apartment was only a few floors up and she had always been of the opinion that stairs were better than taking the elevator.

"Is there no elevator?" Sesshoumaru asked, watched her make her way unsteadily up a second flight of stairs.

"Over there," Rin gestured to it and the large out of order sign beside it. "It hardly ever works, but my apartment is only a few floors up."

"What floor?"

"Fourth."

Choosing to remain silent after that, Sesshoumaru began to realise that one of the main reasons why Rin was in such good shape was probably because she was used to climbing all these stairs everyday. She didn't look to be in very good shape at the moment, but he knew that she was normally energetic and had to do something to keep her slim figure. Perhaps she just ran up and down these stairs a few times? That would certainly be a good form of exercise. Sesshoumaru smirked as he tried to picture Rin running up and down the stairs and somehow, it didn't seem to be very believable.

"Here," Rin called him from his thoughts, beckoning him to follow her down a dimly lit corridor that smelled slightly of mould.

Sesshoumaru followed silently and stepped into the apartment behind her, expecting the apartment to match the décor of the rest of the building but was surprised when Rin turned on the lights to reveal a well furnished and decorated living room. The furniture looked comfortable and inviting which was definitely surprising. Given that she worked in a bar and lived in such an awful building, this was definitely not what he was expecting.

"Make yourself comfortable," Rin said softly, gesturing to the seats and then paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "There's beer in the refrigerator so help yourself. I'm going to change."

Rin left the room and headed down towards her bedroom. When she opened the door and saw the bed, she sighed softly. It looked so inviting that she wanted nothing more than to collapse on it and wrap herself up in the warmth of the covers. Pushing away the thought, she opened her wardrobe and pulled out the pair of plain black trousers and a pale blue t-shirt that served as her pyjamas in winter. They were ideal because they looked like normal clothes so she could wear them in the presence of other people and comfortable enough to sleep in. After she changed, she untied her long hair and let it cascade down her back, smiling slightly at her reflection. She had always loved her hair and took good care of it even though she had limited funds. The tips of her hair brushed her waist and fell over her shoulder as she bent down to pull on a pair of socks before heading back to the living room. Sesshoumaru was sitting in one of her chairs, beer in hand and flipping through a book that sat on top of the nearby pile. He glanced at her when he heard her come in and then gestured to the book.

"You're studying Psychology?" he asked, slightly surprised.

"Studied, I've finished my course," Rin replied with a vague smile as she sat down on a nearby chair.

"You have a degree in Psychology and yet you're working in a bar?" Sesshoumaru asked incredulously.

"It's a way to make ends meet."

"Didn't you have a room mate?"

"She moved out last month."

"Whose belongings are those?" he asked, gesturing to a few sealed boxes that were stacked against the wall.

"Mine."

"Why the boxes?"

"I thought I'd get a head start," Rin replied with a crooked smile. "I'll have to leave here soon so I thought I might as well be prepared for it."

"Leave?"

"I can't afford all the bills on my own. I've got debts to pay and trying to repay that and rent for this place is just too much."

"Where will you go?"

"I'll try to find something nearby, but if I can't then I'll leave the city. My family had land and a house in one of the smaller towns, so I'll go there. At least I won't have to pay rent there."

Sesshoumaru stared at her. If she left the city then she would leave the bar as well and for a reason he didn't try to understand, that thought did not sit well with him. He knew that the place would no longer hold its current appeal if she was not there and it was probably not just him who thought this. She was not just another member of staff, she had become their friend and it would sad to see her go. If she left then he wouldn't see her again, have no reason to offer her rides home just for an excuse to be close to her and no longer feel his heart rate increase slightly every time she smiled at him. Sesshoumaru wondered when he had become attached to the woman, but eventually gave up trying to pin point the moment it happened and instead decided that ensuring she stayed should be his priority.

"Do you want to stay in the city?" he asked, looking at her carefully.

"Of course," Rin replied with a smile. "I don't want to leave my job, but if I have no choice then it's a sacrifice I'll have to make."

"I can offer you somewhere to live," Sesshoumaru said slowly, wondering why he was saying what he was. "But I would require something in return."

Rin raised an eyebrow. "What would that be?"

"That you stay at the bar."

For the first time in days, Rin felt her weariness lift as she laughed. This man was truly amusing at times and she couldn't believe what she had just heard. His condition for giving her somewhere to live was that she stayed at the bar? It was hard to believe that that was all he wanted. Suddenly, her laughter stopped as she thought over what he had said and she looked at him seriously. He was offering her somewhere to live? Why would he offer her somewhere to live? It made no sense.

"Why would you offer me somewhere to live?" Rin asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked at the tall man currently seated opposite her.

"Can it not be simply from the kindness of my heart?" Sesshoumaru countered with a smirk.

Rin shook her head and smiled slightly. "Why is your condition that I must stay at the bar?"

"It would be troublesome to find somewhere else to drink."

Rin's eyes widened and then she smiled at the stoic man. She supposed it was his own way of saying he'd miss her being there, but she wondered why he would care whether or not she was there. Still, she knew that this was something that she would have to consider carefully as it would be a way out of her current lifestyle. Why he was being so nice to her was beyond her comprehension, but she somehow knew that he had no ulterior motives.

"Are you sure?" Rin asked. "You just offered a virtual stranger somewhere to live."

"You are not a stranger. I would not have offered if I didn't mean what I said."

"But…"

I have no problems with sharing my home with you. Besides, it would have all the other men at the bar green with envy," he said, his voice showing his amusement at the idea.

"Thank you for the offer."

"You will accept?"

"Yes."

"Good." He nodded approvingly before fixing her with a serious look. "However, I must insist that you stop your second job."

"How did you know?"

He gestured to some papers on a nearby table and frowned slightly. "I will not be impressed if I have to carry you home because you collapsed from exhaustion."

Rin laughed. "If you insist," she replied with a small smile.

"I suggest you go to bed, it's after midnight."

Sesshoumaru got to his feet and walked towards the door with Rin in tow. He turned and nodded at her when he stepped out the door and she smiled.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

He paused for a moment before lifting his hand and ruffling her hair slightly. "It's fine."

Without another word he turned around and walked down the dim corridor towards the stairs. Rin watched until he disappeared before sighing and going into the apartment. Who would've thought that the solutions to her problems would come from a quiet man in a bar? However, she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth and was pleased that she had accepted his offer. It would be a great help.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

"You can't be serious, Rin," a female voice said incredulously.

"I'm perfectly serious, Mika."

It had been a few days after her conversation with Sesshoumaru that Rin had finally informed her land lord that she was moving out. Sesshoumaru appeared almost every day to help her move boxes from the apartment to the room she would be using in his home and had simply told her that he would take care of her furniture. She had no idea where it went, but it was steadily disappearing and she could only hope that Sesshoumaru was taking good care of it wherever it was.

"Where are you moving to?" Mika asked Rin, who sat demurely on her sofa.

"To a friend's house."

"The one who's been coming round every day for the past week?"

"That's him."

"That's a bad idea, hun," Mika said with a frown. "He'll be a bad influence on you."

"Why?" Rin asked, looking at her friend and land lady over the rim of her tea cup.

"Just look at him! You can tell just by looking at him that he comes from the rough side of town."

"I'll be fine, Mika. Thank you for your concern."

Rin smiled to herself as she left the building for the final time. It wasn't hard to understand why Mika had thought that about Sesshoumaru but Rin knew that it was definitely not true. He had surprised her when he showed her where she would be living so much so that she thought he was playing a cruel joke on her. He had taken her to one of the fancy apartment blocks near the centre of the city and had then proceeded to take up her to the top floor of the enormous building to the apartment he owned. It was at least twice the size of her old one and Rin couldn't help but gape at the room he had given her. As it turned out, Rin discovered that Sesshoumaru came from a very wealthy family, although she didn't know which, and had become the black sheep of the family after refusing to be his father's successor to the family business. To say Rin had been surprised would be an understatement, but she was grateful that he saw fit to share his story with her.

Dusting off her skirt, she picked up her bag and made her way towards the location of her most recent job. Although she was quitting the job, she thought she owed it to the manager to at least dress smartly and be as polite as possible when she broke the news. It wasn't often that she wore skirts, but she decided that this was an occasion that warranted one; besides, the rest of her clothes had been packed away already. A black knee length skirt flattered her figure; the high heels she wore made her legs look very long despite her short stature and a dark brown coat covered her white blouse. In her bag she carried a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to wear at work, she knew better than to wear a skirt around a room full of drunken men.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Sesshoumaru sighed to himself as he looked at his nearly empty beer bottle and wondered where the person behind the bar had disappeared to. He had abandoned his seat in the corner of the room in favour of sitting at the bar where he could hear all the conversation as well as being on the receiving end of Rin's smiles. Thinking of her name made him wonder where she was as her shift was due to start soon. Almost as though she knew that she was being thought of, the door opened and Rin walked in. Glancing at her briefly, Sesshoumaru turned his attention back to his nearly empty bottle before looking back as he heard loud wolf whistles. What he hadn't seen moments before was that Rin wore a skirt instead of the jeans that she always wore and it appeared that quite a few men in the room approved of what they saw. Admittedly, she did look very nice dressed like that and her legs looked even better, but he couldn't help but wonder about her choice of clothing for a cold winter's night. When she appeared behind the bar, she looked no different than normal in her usual jeans and t-shirt, but she was now centre of attention as all the men around the bar clamoured to get her attention now that they knew what those jeans hid.

A full bottle of beer appeared in front of him moments later and he looked up to see her smiling at him. She was definitely back to her normal self and he was glad because the smile she had just given him was one he had been missing over the past few weeks. He nodded his thanks before she turned away to talk to some of the men nearby and he wondered what she would do if he were to start a conversation with her, not that he had any intention of doing so.

"You're lookin' happy, girl," Osamu commented with a smirk as she refilled his drink. "Got yourself a fella?"

Rin laughed. "No. I'm still looking for him."

"You'll find one soon enough."

"How can you be sure?" Rin asked, falling into her usual routine of bantering with the older man.

"With legs like yours, I'm surprised you ain't got 'em queuing up for you."

"If I was ten years younger, I'd be first in line," another man, Saburou, commented with a wink that made Rin laugh again.

"Why'd you keep 'em hidden, girl?" Osamu asked teasingly. "We not good enough for ya?"

"It's too cold for skirts."

"You wore one today," Saburou interjected.

"I went somewhere special today," Rin said with a smile as she turned to serve some newcomers.

While Rin continued to banter with the others, Sesshoumaru watched her with narrowed eyes as he listened to the conversation and realised that there was a lot about her that he didn't know while she already knew his story. He hadn't even considered the fact that there might be a man in her life, but had felt relief wash over him when he discovered that there wasn't, although he wasn't sure why he was relieved. He watched her as she emerged from behind the bar to collect the empty glasses that had been left on the tables and noticed for the first time that she had a nice figure. Tearing his eyes away, he glanced at the clock and saw that it was already midnight; her shift should already be over. The hours had flown by without him realising it and he began wondering why she made no move to leave.

"You're workin' late tonight, girl," Osamu observed as he too looked at the clock.

"Only for another half an hour," Rin said with a smile as she returned to the bar with a tray full of empty glasses.

"It's dangerous for a girl like you to be wanderin' around in the dark on her own."

"I'll be fine."

When she disappeared from behind the bar half an hour later, Sesshoumaru left the bar and waited outside for her, knowing that it would be easier to give her a ride home considering the circumstances. The door opened a short while later and Rin walked out with Osamu and Saburou on either side of her, laughing at something one of them had said. Sesshoumaru noticed that she had changed back into her skirt and wondered what the point of doing so was. She stood with her back to him while conversing with the two men and from where he stood; Sesshoumaru had a very good view of her legs and derriere and had to admit that he liked what he saw, although he would never admit that out loud.

The two men finally waved goodbye and turned around to make their way home while Rin watched them go with a vague smile. When she turned around, she was surprised to see Sesshoumaru leaning against the wall, a hand in his pocket and the other holding a cigarette. He watched in amusement as her nose wrinkled as the smoke drifted towards her and she waved her hand in front of her face to clear the air as she so often did in the bar.

"I thought you'd stopped that," Rin said, gesturing to the cigarette in his hand.

Sesshoumaru shrugged slightly and tilted his head as he looked at her. "Will you not be cold wearing that on the way home?"

"No, it's fine," Rin said, a blush staining her cheeks as she realised that he too had been looking at her legs.

"Let's go then."

The pair made their way over to the car park unaware that Osamu and Saburou had decided to return to the bar for a bit longer and were just walking past the car park when they spotted Rin standing beside Sesshoumaru as he fastened the helmet for her. The two men watched in shocked silence as she climbed onto the motorcycle behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist before they disappeared into the night.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Rin was in high spirits the next day. The first night at Sesshoumaru's had gone well. There had been no awkwardness and both of them seemed to adjusting to the change as easily as though this had always been on the cards. She had decided that she would take a look at the house that had belonged to her family and had taken the short train journey to the small town where it was located. Sesshoumaru had not been awake when she had left, but she prepared breakfast and left a covered plate of food for him in the kitchen with a brief note of where she was before leaving. After all, cooking meals was the least she could do for him since he had allowed her to stay in his home.

Much to her surprise, the house she found herself standing in front of was a lot bigger and in better condition than she thought it would be. She looked around and saw that the garden would definitely need tending, but the house itself was in perfect condition. An idea formed in her mind as she wandered through the empty rooms. If she could clean the house up and furnish it with the furniture from her previous apartment, Rin realised that she could rent it out to someone and earn some extra money. She wondered why it had never occurred to her before, but pushed the thought aside as she began making her way back to the train station to head back to the city for her shift at the bar.

Sesshoumaru was sitting in his usual seat at the bar when she arrived, as were Osamu and Saburou and a few other men she knew by sight but not by name. After making sure everyone had been served, Rin pulled a notebook and pen out of her pocket and found an empty space of the bar where she could work out what she would need to do to get the house back in habitable condition. She was so focussed on her task that she didn't notice Sesshoumaru watched her carefully with a curious light in his eyes and she didn't notice that Osamu and Saburou were sending furtive glances down the bar to the silver haired man. When she was finally happy with her plan, she put the notebook and pen back in her pocket and looked around to see if anyone needed refills. Her gaze landed on Sesshoumaru's empty bottle and she headed towards him with a new one.

"What were you writing?" he asked quietly when she handed him the drink.

"I went to visit the house my family owned today and if I clean it up and put some furniture in it, I could probably rent it out and get some extra money. You'll have to come with me sometime and see it," Rin replied with a smile, taking out her notebook and sliding it towards him. "I'd like your opinion."

"We'll discuss it later," Sesshoumaru agreed before nodding at something behind her. "Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum want your attention."

Giggling slightly, Rin turned away and walked towards Osamu and Saburou who smiled slightly at her as she approached. Quietly, she refilled their drinks and was about to walk away when Osamu spoke.

"You got somethin' goin' with that quiet guy?" he asked, gesturing towards Sesshoumaru with his eyes. "You wanna be careful of him, girl. His type don't play nice."

Rin laughed. "There's nothing going on."

"You went home with him last night for fun then?" Saburou asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, you saw that, did you?" Rin asked in mild surprise. "He was just giving me a lift home."

"You wanna be careful," Osamu repeated, closing his eyes as he spoke. "He'll drop you like a bad habit when he gets bored."

"It's nothing like that," Rin said, waving her hand dismissively. "Besides, he's a lot nicer than you make him sound."

It was a few hours later when Sesshoumaru was standing outside the bar smoking that Osamu and Saburou came out and were about to make their way home when they spotted him leaning against the wall beside the door. Saburou shrugged and turned around to start walking home when Osamu changed course and headed towards the taller man. Sesshoumaru looked at the man expressionlessly when he came to a stop in front of him and simply blew a cloud of smoke into the air between them as he waited for the shorter man to speak.

"You better not be playin' with that girl," Osamu said in a low voice as he tried to appear confident in front of the silent man.

"What's it to you?" Sesshoumaru asked, pulling a fresh cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it.

"Osamu, just leave it," Saburou exclaimed in an exasperated tone.

"She aint' no toy to amuse you 'til you get bored."

"No one said she was."

"Boy, you could make a preacher cuss! I'm bein' serious 'bout this!" Osamu all but shouted as his agitation grew.

"So am I."

Osamu looked furious for a moment and spluttered as he tried to come up with a response and instead chose to grab the taller man's shirt, pulling him down until they were at eye level. He opened his mouth to speak but never got to say what he intended as Rin stepped out of the bar, waving at someone behind her before closing the door. When she turned around, she surveyed the scene for a moment, completely dumbfounded. The trio of men turned to look at her and there was a moment's silence before she recovered her speech.

"What's going on here?" she demanded, approaching the small group and putting her hands on her hips as she waited for a response.

"This boy ain't takin' me seriously," Osamu muttered as he turned his attention back to Sesshoumaru. "I ain't jokin' 'bout this, boy!"

"I'm not a boy," Sesshoumaru growled in response, beginning to lose patience with the man.

Rin sighed as she suddenly understood what was happening. She was grateful that Osamu had taken it upon himself to defend her honour, but there was really no need. Sesshoumaru didn't see her as anything other than "the girl at the bar" and she knew that he wouldn't do anything to hurt her even though everyone seemed to disagree. Frowning, she stepped closer and somehow managed to get Osamu to let go of Sesshoumaru's shirt and she pushed them apart, stepping between them before turning to the older man.

"It's kind of you to look out for me, Osamu," Rin said with a vague smile before glancing over her shoulder at the man who towered over her. "You don't need to worry though. Like I said before, he's nicer than you think."

Sesshoumaru blinked in surprise as he heard her words. Nicer than you think? She thought he was nice? That was certainly different; he hadn't heard himself referred to as 'nice' before. The cigarette in his hand was soon forgotten as he looked down at the tiny woman standing in front of him and wondered why she would defend him. His other hand brushed against the notebook in his pocket and remembered her saying that she wanted his opinion. Stunned by being complimented twice in one evening, he tilted his head slightly as she turned around after the other two men had left.

"I'm sorry that happened," Rin said sheepishly, blushing when she met his gaze. "He's a bit too protective."

"You really are very small," Sesshoumaru commented casually, putting his hand on her head as he had done a week before. "You need someone to look after you."

Rin stared at him in shock, not quite sure what to say and why the conversation had taken a strange turn. Had he never noticed her height before? As she thought over his words again, she realised that he clearly thought of her as a helpless woman who needed to be defended.

"I don't need to be looked after!" she declared hotly, crossing her arms and turning slightly away from him. "I can look after myself!"

"Feisty as a rooster too," he said with a chuckle.

"You laughed!" Rin exclaimed, forgetting her petulance as surprise took over.

"Even I laugh occasionally."

"Not often enough though."

With a new respect for the diminutive woman, Sesshoumaru drove them home and decided that life was probably going to be quite interesting with her around. She had insisted on making meals for them both, regardless of the time, and she obviously had a big heart. The feisty part of her only intrigued him all the more as he realised that she was far from being the cheerful but slightly timid woman he had always thought she was. He had seen her throw a man nearly twice the size of her out of a bar and she even defended him when others seemed against him. She was truly amazing. Sesshoumaru didn't think he had ever met anyone quite like her before. Maybe befriending her wouldn't be such a bad thing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

"We could have just come on the bike," Sesshoumaru muttered with a frown as he looked out the window of the train he currently sat on.

"Don't be so bad tempered," Rin admonished him quietly from where she sat beside him, looking at a map of the town they were heading towards. "This is quicker."

"People don't look at me funny on the bike," he insisted, turning to look at the woman beside him.

"Just ignore them. We'll be there soon."

Rin had finally managed to get Sesshoumaru out of bed early enough to come to visit the house with her and he had not been impressed when she had dragged him to the train station instead of allowing him to use his motorcycle as he was used to doing. In the end he had given up on protesting and simply followed her, slowing his pace so that her short strides could keep up with him. He had never been to the town where the house was, but Rin seemed to know where she was going so he was content to follow her lead.

Sesshoumaru had noticed people giving him strange looks because of his attire and did his best to do as Rin suggested and ignore them, but it was beginning to annoy him. Did it matter that the buttons on his shirt were only half done up even though it was the middle of winter? He saw no problem with it and Rin had not once mentioned that his attire was not suitable for winter even though he suspected that she probably thought it was. Still, it irked him that he seemed to have become the centre of attention. Occasionally, men would glare at him and Sesshoumaru was almost completely sure that the looks sent in his direction by women were not judgemental as much as they were lustful. He was glad that Rin sat beside him which meant that no random women could approach him.

"Let's go," Rin said suddenly, tugging the sleeve of his coat as she got to her feet and made her way towards the doors.

The pair made their way through the small train station and out into the street on the other side. Sesshoumaru looked around him as he tried to find any signposts that could give him any indication of where he was, but Rin tugged his sleeve again and started walking down the street away from the station. Weak sunlight shone down on them and Rin smiled happily as she saw the house come into view a few minutes later.

"This is it?" Sesshoumaru asked, stunned by how good the house looked.

"This is it," Rin agreed and opened the gate.

"It looks a lot better than I thought."

"It does considering no one has lived her for nearly 17 years," Rin murmured as she walked past him towards the front door.

Amber eyes looked at her carefully for a moment when he heard her quiet comment and wondered why the house had been abandoned. Everything in the house seemed to be in perfect working order and it seemed to Sesshoumaru that the only thing missing from the house aside from the furniture was the large family that would have occupied it. It seemed like the perfect family home, although he supposed that if Rin really wanted to live there, she could make it quite homely and perfectly suitable for only one person. Although he knew that she didn't want to leave her job in the city, he wondered why she didn't take up residence here. The location was tranquil and the people were friendly.

"Are you sure you'd want to rent this place out to a stranger?" Sesshoumaru asked a while later as he looked out at the now dried up pond in the overgrown back garden.

"It'd be a waste to just leave it unoccupied," Rin replied as she looking through the cupboards in the kitchen for any sign of deterioration.

"Wouldn't you want to live here?"

"Not really."

"Why not?"

"I left this place a long time ago, it's not home anymore."

Straightening from where she had been bent over looking through cupboards, Rin looked out the large windows and into the overgrown garden, momentarily lost in thought. Although it was not her home anymore, she had to admit that every room in the house was filled with memories. Despite how good the house looked, she had no desire to live there and although she had hoped that some point she would want to, now was not the time. Sesshoumaru watched her quietly as she looked out the window, her eyes distant. There was another reason why she didn't want to live here, that much was obvious, but he wondered if she would tell him what the reason was.

"Since we're here and I don't have to work tonight, let's get started on the garden," Rin said with a cheerful smile.

She led him down a stone path to the bottom of the back garden where a small building stood surrounded by overgrown shrubs and tall weeds. After a brief struggle with the door, Rin finally managed to open it and coughed slightly as the scent of dust and mould assaulted her nose. Sesshoumaru looked into the building and noticed that it had once been a tool house and whoever had cleared out the main building had forgotten about this place as all the tools looked as though they were waiting for their previous user to return and pick them up again. Rin walked into the building, mindful of the stone floor that she knew was uneven, and looked around as she found various memories returning to her.

"Here, you'll need those," Rin said as she handed Sesshoumaru a pair of gardening gloves over her shoulder as she sifted through the contents of a box nearby. "Give them a wash before you put them on though."

Nodding silently, Sesshoumaru left Rin in the tool house and went in search of water to wash the gloves. After finally locating some water, he hung his coat up on the tree branch nearby and rolled up his sleeves before plunging his hands under the cold running water to wash the gloves. Rin appeared beside him a moment later carrying another pair of gloves and a couple of tools that would help dig up the weeds. She waited patiently for Sesshoumaru to finish washing his pair of gloves before handing him one of the tools she held.

"We won't finish today, but we can make a start," she smiled as she headed over to the stone path.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The sun was beginning to sink low in the sky when Rin finally sighed and stretched her arms above her head as she surveyed the garden that she and Sesshoumaru had spent the day working on. Just as she had predicted, they hadn't finished the whole garden but they had certainly cleared away a lot of the weeds and could now see the dry grass beneath. Brown eyes looked across the garden to where Sesshoumaru knelt among the weeds with his back to her. She got to her feet and smiled to herself as she made her way over to him. He jumped slightly when her hand landed on his shoulder and looked up into her smiling face before rising to his feet.

"Let's get stop for today," Rin said softly. "We'll come back another time and finish off."

"Alright. I'll go clean up," he said as he pulled the gloves off his hands.

Sesshoumaru watched Rin walk back to the tool shed with both tools and both pairs of gloves in her hands. Shaking his head, he walked back over to the tap he had found earlier to wash his hands. Rin reappeared moments later as he was pulling on his coat and smiled before washing her own hands. She stretched again before heading back towards the house to fetch her own coat. Just as she was securing her scarf around her neck, Sesshoumaru appeared in the doorway.

"What now?"

"We should go back to the station," Rin said, sounding slightly preoccupied as she struggled to secure her scarf the way she wanted it. "I don't know what time the last train leaves and it'll be getting dark soon."

The pair made their way back to the train station trying to ignore the chill in the air as they walked. The building soon came into sight and Sesshoumaru felt the urge to breathe a sigh of relief as they entered the warmth of the building. Just as it had been earlier that day, the building was virtually empty and they headed straight towards the ticket desk to ask about the next train. Rin sighed beside him when she learned that there was still an hour until the next train.

"It's going to be dark and very cold by the time we get back," she murmured as they stepped out onto the platform their train would leave from.

"It's unfortunate."

"Do you think my idea of renting the house is a good idea?" Rin asked, turning in her seat to look at him.

"If you're not going to live in it, then I suppose it's better than leaving it as it is," Sesshoumaru replied, looking thoughtfully at the setting sun.

"Indeed. I don't like the idea of it just standing unoccupied."

"Is living in it that bad, though?"

"No, I suppose not. There's just too many memories to deal with at the moment," Rin said with a vague smile.

"How long have you lived in the city?"

"Since I was 7." She paused and looked at him. "Have you always lived there?"

"Unfortunately."

"You don't like it?"

"Not particularly. Everyone knows who I am and it's annoying."

"I see."

"It'd be so much easier if I didn't have a wealthy family."

"Do you dislike them that much?"

"I don't dislike them, they dislike me."

"Because you didn't want to take over the business?"

"Indeed."

Rin sighed and looked around the now dark platform, watching the lights click on to dimly illuminate the area. There was no point sitting in the cold discussing painful matters, it would get neither of them anywhere. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Sesshoumaru pull his coat closer around him and shook her head slightly. Pulling her scarf from around her neck, she turned around and wrapped it around his neck. The man himself stared at her in surprise, not sure how to react as she secured it snugly around his neck and sat back beside him. He lifted the bottom of the scarf in his fingers and stared at it, unable to comprehend the fact that it had been around her neck only moments before. It was very warm and smelt of the perfume she wore. Turning in his seat, Sesshoumaru looked at her and his eyes widened as she turned to look up at him with a smile.

"Won't you be cold?" he asked, still slightly stunned by what had just happened.

"I'll be fine," Rin replied, her smile growing. "If you won't button up your shirt then the scarf will keep you warm."

"I thought you had an opinion on that," Sesshoumaru said with a smirk as he sat back.

"About your shirt?"

"Yes."

"I suppose I do, but if that's how you like it, then that's how it should stay. Besides, I'm in no position to criticize your dress sense."

"I was surprised when you started working at the bar," Sesshoumaru admitted, leaning back to look up at the ceiling.

"Why?"

"You don't seem like the type to work in a place like that."

"Don't you start that," Rin pouted, remembering the argument that had taken place in the bar the night he had first given her a lift home.

"It's true. Not to mention it was surprising that you didn't throw yourself at me like every other woman had done."

Rin giggled. "Well actually I was scared of you."

"Scared?" Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at that. "Why would you be scared of me?"

"You never spoke to anyone and always sat alone. Everyone always used to say that all you did was drink, smoke and fight."

"That's true, although I don't fight anymore. I stopped that a long time ago."

"You also said that your language was bad," Rin said with a grin.

"Hm. You remembered that."

"I don't think what everyone says about you is true."

"Oh?"

"I didn't want to believe what they said," she carried on, ignoring his question.

"Why not?"

"I wanted to see for myself." Sesshoumaru grunted and looked away. "I'm glad I didn't believe them. You're a lot nicer than I expected."

"Nice enough to give the lady back her scarf," he said quietly as he pulled it from his neck and held it out to her.

"No no!" Rin exclaimed, waving her hands in front of her. "You need to keep warm."

"So do you."

"I'm wearing more clothes than you, I'll be fine."

Rin regretted her words almost as soon as they left her mouth. It was true that she wore more clothes than he did, but she noticed an eyebrow rise before amber eyes swept over her and settled back on her face. Biting her lip, she was glad that her coat was buttoned up to her neck even though she wore nothing revealing beneath. The scarf still sat in his extended hand and she picked it up, leaning forward to wrap it around his neck again.

"If you don't wear the scarf, I'll button your shirt," Rin said seriously when he ducked out of the way.

"I'd like to see you try," Sesshoumaru replied with a smirk, still leaning away from her outstretched arms.

"I accept your challenge," she murmured, a smirk crossing her face as she put the scarf into her bag.

"Challenge?"

There was a moment's silence as Sesshoumaru wondered what she meant by challenge. He didn't recall challenging her to anything, but when he remembered his words about his shirt, he wanted to groan. It wasn't meant to sound like a challenge and she was obviously not the type to back down from one. He was so caught up in trying to find a way of discouraging her that he didn't noticed her lean towards him slightly and her arms dropped until they were level with his open buttons. Rin had already done up two buttons by the time Sesshoumaru's attention came back to her and he caught her hands in one of his.

"You failed," he smirked and lifted her hands up.

"Only because you're bigger than me," Rin pouted as she tried to get her hands loose. "That was an unfair advantage."

"I can't help it if you're small."

"I'm not that small!"

"Yes, you really are that small."

Rin looked down at her bag for a moment and then back up at him. "Please wear it?"

"What?"

"The scarf."

"You should wear it."

"I'm wearing more clothes than you!"

"So you said, but I don't believe you."

"You're stubborn!" Rin exclaimed and pulled her hands from his. She reached for the scarf and wrapped it around his neck before turning around and sitting beside him so that part of it covered her own neck. "A compromise then."

Sesshoumaru looked down at the woman who sat close beside him with a bright smile and shook his head. She called him stubborn but she was the one insisting on making him wear it. The scarf was just as warm as it had been earlier and the scent of her perfume was stronger now that she sat so much closer. Her attention was drawn away and Sesshoumaru observed her silently.

As usual, her hair was tied up in a bun at the nape of her neck, but he knew that it reached her waist. A scattering of freckles covered her cheeks and over the bridge of her nose and her lips were plump and pink. It was hardly surprising that all the men in the bar fawned over her and wanted her attention, she was really very pretty. In his opinion, her lack of height made her endearing and the way she pouted when teased about it was cute. The wind blew past them and ruffled her hair, causing a few strands to fall around her face. Slender fingers reached up to tuck them behind her ears and Sesshoumaru found his gaze following her hand as it fell back to her lap. They were very delicate hands with long slender fingers. He marvelled at the idea of both her hands fitting into one of his and shook his head, once again struck by how small she actually was. Her exuberant personality made one forget that she was actually tiny and every so often he was struck by moments when he saw her for what she truly was. The scarf fell from her shoulders as she got to her feet and turned to smile at him, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Let's go!" Rin exclaimed happily as she made her way towards the train that had just arrived.

"You're like a child," Sesshoumaru remarked drily as he followed her.

"Travelling is exciting!"

"We're going home."

"It doesn't matter, we're still travelling and anything can happen!"

How right she was. Anything could happen and Rin was going to regret those words when she thought back on that day later.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter V**

Rin and Sesshoumaru had been sitting on the stationary train for nearly half an hour before he became impatient. They should already be on their way home by now not still sitting in the station. Excusing himself, he disappeared in search of someone who could tell him why they weren't going anywhere and after searching for a short while, he went back to the ticket desk inside, praying that the train wouldn't leave while he was not on it.

"Excuse me," Sesshoumaru said curtly to the man behind the desk.

"Yes sir?"

"Why is the train that is supposed to be returning to the city still here? We should have left 15 minutes ago."

"I'm sorry, sir, you must not have heard the announcement."

"What announcement?"

"There is a problem on the tracks and the train will not be returning to the city tonight."

Sesshoumaru sighed to himself. "When will it be returning?"

"Normal service should resume tomorrow, but it depends on the severity of the problem. I suggest you find somewhere to stay for the night and come back in the morning."

Nodding, Sesshoumaru returned to the train and told Rin of their predicament. She had nodding understandingly and followed him out of the station where they stood beneath a streetlight, not sure what to do next. The most obvious solution was to either return to the house or to find a hotel, but Sesshoumaru wondered if Rin would want to spend the night at the house. There was nothing there anyway. They would have to find something to keep them warm as there was no heating system as there was in his apartment.

"We'll have to go back to the house then," Rin said quietly as she looked around them.

"There's nothing there."

"Then we'll get what we need before we go."

"Where?"

"I remember vaguely where the shops are and it shouldn't be too far."

Slightly dubious about her memory of where the shops were, Sesshoumaru followed her silently and tried to remember various landmarks in case they got lost. Fortunately, Rin had remembered where the shops were and they only made a few wrong turnings before reaching them. Much to Sesshoumaru's surprise, they managed to by bedding and food for the night and it wasn't as expensive as he was expecting. They had finally settled on each paying half of the money before heading towards an elderly lady at the check out.

"I've not seen you before," she said pleasantly to Sesshoumaru. "Are you new here?"

"I live in the city."

"You're quite far from home, dear. Are the trains not running?"

"No."

"Oh dear. Have you found somewhere to stay?"

"The Nakajima house."

"Ah yes, that house is well known in this town." Her eyes fell on Rin who appeared beside Sesshoumaru. "Is this your wife? She's a pretty thing."

Rin blushed and Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "No, we aren't married."

"You look familiar, dear," the woman said to Rin. "Have we met before?"

"I doubt it. I left here when I was a child."

"Are you staying at the Nakajima house as well?"

"Yes."

"I didn't know it was for sale. Such a tragic story."

"It's not for sale," Rin said calmly, ignoring the questioning look in Sesshoumaru's eyes as she began packing away the groceries into bags.

"Not?" the woman asked in surprise as her eyes widened. "For you to be staying there then it must mean that you're a relative. Could it be that you were the youngest daughter?"

"Thank you for your help."

Rin didn't wait to see if Sesshoumaru was following as she left the store with a bag of groceries in her arms, well aware that the elderly woman's eyes followed her out of the store. It annoyed her that people spoke about her family's home like it was something out of a legend. She frowned and bit her lip as she thought over the woman's prying. The last thing she needed was for the people in the town who still remembered her family to come and ask her questions. It was only when she was half way down the road to the house that she remembered Sesshoumaru and looked up to see him walking quietly beside her. As if sensing her gaze, he looked down at her for a moment before focusing back on the road.

"If you were trying to avoid her questioning, I don't think you succeeded," Sesshoumaru said quietly as he helped her unpack the groceries in the kitchen.

"It doesn't matter," Rin replied with a shrug as she lit a few of the candles they had bought, mentally cursing the fact that the electricity to the house had been cut off.

"She's probably going to gossip about that conversation."

"She would have done anyway. I'll start on dinner if you don't mind sorting out the beds?" she asked, giving him a smile as she changed the subject.

Knowing that she didn't want to discuss the matter, Sesshoumaru left Rin in the kitchen and took a candle into the adjacent room where they would spend the night. It wasn't the biggest room in the house, but it was big enough for them to sleep in without getting too cold. As he laid out the beds, his mind wondered to the conversation with the woman in the shop. This house was well known in the town apparently, although it didn't come as much of a surprise to him as he supposed that any house that had been standing empty for 17 years would become well known in any town or city. It wouldn't even surprise him if some of the local myths were based on the empty house. What did surprise him was the fact that the woman in the shop had seemed taken aback by the fact that the house was not for sale and yet they were staying in it. He didn't understand why that should be so hard to believe since it was Rin's previous home. Another thing Sesshoumaru didn't understand was what the tragic story was and why the woman had seemed shocked when asking if Rin was the youngest daughter. It was a mystery that he knew he wouldn't be able to solve until Rin told him the details, but he suspected that she wouldn't be talking about it very soon if her reaction earlier had been anything to go by.

"I'm afraid we'll just have to have sandwiches," Rin said with an apologetic smile when she came into the room a short while later. "I hadn't really seen much point in having the electricity working again until today."

"Sandwiches are fine."

Rin sighed softly as she sat down on one of the beds Sesshoumaru had laid out in the little room and ate silently as she thought about had happened that day. She was almost certain that Sesshoumaru was now wondering what she had to hide after she all but ran out the shop earlier and she was still unsure whether or not to tell him the story. He had told her his story after all, shouldn't she tell him hers?

"I can't understand why you would leave this town," Sesshoumaru said almost to himself as he looked out the window into the dark garden. "It's so peaceful."

"It is peaceful," Rin agreed with a smile. "But at 7 years of age, you don't really have much say in where you live."

"Was the place in the city you moved to as nice as this?"

Rin paused as she cast her mind back. "No, not really. This place is a lot nicer; I didn't like the place I moved to."

"I suppose the house you spend most of your life in is probably always going to be the one you like best."

"Perhaps."

"How did you end up living in such an awful apartment building?" Sesshoumaru asked, turning to look at her as he remembered the building.

Rin laughed. "It wasn't that bad once you got inside the apartment. I started working when I was 16 and saved up enough money to find my own place by the time I start university. It probably wasn't the best idea, but I would probably have been kicked out if I was still living in the same house by the time I was 18."

"You ended up living in a small apartment and working in a dirty bar?" Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't how you thought life would turn out, was it?"

"No, not really, but it was better than the life I was living before."

"Childhood was that bad?"

"Much worse than I can put into words."

"That's bad," he murmured to himself.

Rin laughed as she heard his words and got to her feet to throw away the paper wrapping from their sandwiches. She was still giggling to herself as she stood in the kitchen looking out into the back garden. Sesshoumaru looked over his shoulder when he heard her laugh and wondered why his words were so funny.

"Is something funny?" he asked, leaning against the wall as she came back into the room.

"I didn't know that you of all people would state the obvious," Rin said, giving him a crooked smile as she sat down beside him.

"I suppose even I do that sometimes."

"You're right though, it was bad."

Neither of them spoke after that and sat in content silence as they looked out into the garden. Sesshoumaru couldn't understand this woman, she was more mysterious than most and for some reason, he was curious about her when normally he didn't acre very about anyone around him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her lie back on the makeshift bed and stare at the ceiling with a thoughtful look. Wondering what she was thinking about, he turned to her and was about to ask when he stopped and simply looked at her. Her eyes had closed; her eyelashes casting long shadows on her skin and her hands were linked on her stomach. As his gaze fell to her hands, he noticed that they rested just below her very full breasts. Shaking his head, he looked away in case she opened her eyes to find him staring.

"A while ago you said that you went somewhere special before work," Sesshoumaru said suddenly, breaking the silence. "Where did you go?"

"A place where past and present meet," Rin replied cryptically, her eyes still closed. "A place where I won't be judged for my actions and will be accepted as the person I am."

"You're not laying down clues for a treasure hunt," he murmured, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

Rin giggled. "Sorry, did it sound like that?"

"It did."

"I went to visit my parents," she said after a moment, a sad smile crossing her face.

"I see."

It struck Sesshoumaru then that he had never heard her talk about her parents or about anyone in her family. He had told her about his rivalry with his brother and the rocky relationship with his stepmother, but she had not once given any clue as to what kind of family she came from. He looked up when he saw her get to her feet, beckoning him to follow her as she walked silently through the dark house. She stopped at the doorway to the largest bedroom and smiled as she looked into the room.

"This was their bedroom," she said softly. "They had the biggest bed I had ever seen and when my father went away, my mother let me sleep in it with her."

After a moment she moved down the hall to the next room and pushed it opens, wrinkling her nose slightly as though smelling something she didn't like. Sesshoumaru watched as she seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before stepping back into the corridor and heading towards the last bedroom where she stopped in the middle of the room and looked at him with a vague smile.

"The last room was my brother's and it was always filthy. I wrinkle my nose out of habit when I go in there because it was so bad," she giggled and then gestured to the room they stood in. "This was my room."

"It's big for a little girl's room," Sesshoumaru commented as he looked around and tried to imagine what Rin was like as a child.

"I shared it with my older sister," she smiled and stepped over to one side of the room. "So I guess that means that this was my half of the room."

"You don't mind other people using these rooms?"

"It's fine as long as it stays the same way it is now."

"Rin, I don't know why you don't want to live here," Sesshoumaru started deciding to voice his opinion since she had asked for it a while ago. "I don't know anything about the place, but if I were you I wouldn't want strangers living in the place."

Rin smiled at him and Sesshoumaru breathed a silent sigh of relief that she wasn't upset with his words. He watched her place her hand on a nearby wall and look as though she was remembering something before she hastily pulled her hand away.

"I don't want strangers living here," Rin admitted looking at him again. "But this house needs a family living in it, not to stand alone and empty forever. I love this house, but it wouldn't be right for just one person to live here and especially not me. There are too many memories here."

Nodding, Sesshoumaru turned around and led the way back to the room they had occupied and sat down on his bed, watching as Rin made her way into the kitchen only to return moments later with a beer for him and a bottle of water for herself. He was surprised that she had thought to buy him alcohol; it wasn't really the most important thing at the moment after all. It was even his favourite one. Looking up at Rin, she smiled happily as she saw his amazement.

"I'm the barmaid after all," she said. "Of course I remember what you drink."

He smirked at that and nodded his gratitude as he opened the bottle. Looking at his watch, Sesshoumaru realised that it was already 7pm and mused that at this time on just about any other day, he would already be at the bar and Rin would be serving behind it.

"Today has been a total disaster," Rin sighed as she pulled her shoes off.

"How so?"

"You pulled weeds all day and are now stuck in a deserted house in a strange town with the centre of that town's attention, is that not a total disaster?"

"Well, pulling weeds wasn't fun but the deserted house isn't so bad," Sesshoumaru mused before looking at her seriously. "You're not the centre of the town's attention."

"I will be by tomorrow," Rin predicted ominously.

"Just because of one woman in a shop?"

"I guess it's become a pretty famous story around here, although it's probably the most exciting thing that's ever happened in this town."

"Oh?"

Rin paused and looked at Sesshoumaru seriously for a moment before taking a deep breath. There was no point hiding it anymore, it was time to tell him.

"I don't normally tell people this, but since you're here and given what the woman in the store said, it's only fair that I tell you."

"Tell me?" Sesshoumaru stared at her, not sure what to expect.

"When I was 7, I didn't move to the city with my parents, I moved alone because I was moving to an orphanage. My parents, brother and sister were killed in a car accident only a few weeks before I moved. I stayed with a neighbour for a while before I was sent off to an orphanage in the city."

"I see."

Sesshoumaru blinked in surprise at what he had just heard. He hadn't known what to expect, but that was definitely far from what he thought she would say. Maybe a father with a gambling problem or parents that argued and then divorced was something more along the lines what he thought she might say. What he had just heard floored him. How was he supposed to react? What was he supposed to say? No one in his family had died that he had been particularly close to so he could not begin to understand what it felt like being an orphan.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Rin smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, it was seventeen years ago."

"You're only 24?" Sesshoumaru asked in surprise.

"Yes," Rin said with a smile. "How old did you think I was?"

"Older than that."

"How old are you?"

"29."

"You're only 5 years older than me."

"Indeed. Does it bother you?"

"What?"

"That you're living with someone that much older than you."

She laughed. "Of course not. I don't think age matters that much; it's not something I pay a great deal of attention to."

Somehow, Rin's words put him at ease. Sesshoumaru had not expected to her to be only 24 and it worried him slightly that she might find it awkward to stay in the same apartment as a man who was nearly 30. Fortunately, the woman managed to push his worries aside and he now realised that a 5 year age gap was not all that bad and it wasn't as though they were a couple either. Shrugging the thoughts aside, he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling as he wondered what the next day would have in store for them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI**

The next day was overcast and dark clouds hung in the sky like bad omens. The wind had picked up so much that it rattled the windows as it blew against them and the large puddles in the garden indicated that it had rained at some point during the night and the heavy clouds promised more. Sesshoumaru sighed as he looked out the window and put his hands behind his head as he wondered what time it was. It was probably still early as there were no sounds at all from the road just beyond the garden walls, not that there had been much noise at all the day before.

A soft sigh caught his attention and he looked across to the other side of the room where Rin was sleeping. His eyes softened as they landed on the small woman. She lay curled up on her side facing him, her head pillowed on the coat she had been wearing the night before and a small hand curled around the edge of the blanket wrapped around her. Beneath the blanket he could just make out the gentle rise and fall of her chest and watched as she shivered slightly, pulling the blanket around her tightly. She looked very innocent as she slept and Sesshoumaru almost smiled as he watched her sleep.

After a moment, Rin rolled over onto her back and sighed, opening her eyes slowly and looked around as she tried to establish where she was. Her eyes widened as she remembered and her head turned slightly to find Sesshoumaru propped up against the wall watching her with amusement. Smiling slightly, Rin sat up and stretched before falling back onto the makeshift bed and pulling the covers around her.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked, turning on her side to look at Sesshoumaru as she pulled the covers over her shoulder.

"As well as you can sleep on the floor," Sesshoumaru said with a smirk. "Did you?"

"Fine, thank you," Rin replied, shivering slightly. "I can sleep anywhere though."

"You're lucky."

"Don't worry, with any luck you'll be in your own bed tonight."

"I hope so. Otherwise I'm going to have to invest in a bed today so I don't sleep on the floor again tonight."

Rin laughed and sat up, pushing the covers aside and getting to her feet. Sesshoumaru watched as she stretched noticed that she was not only small in terms of height, but he saw that although she had wide hips, her waist was tiny. The woman looked as though she would shatter if not handled with the utmost care, but he knew that her fragility was a deception as she was a feisty woman.

"Do you know what time it is?" Rin asked as she looked through her bag for the hair brush she always carried.

"8am," Sesshoumaru replied as he started folding away the blankets he had been using.

"I overslept," she said turning around and looking slightly perturbed by the revelation.

"I didn't sleep enough. How do you manage getting up so early everyday?"

"It's easy once you get used to it. Shall I wake you up every morning so you can get into the routine?"

"No, it's fine thanks."

Smiling to herself, Rin folded up her blankets and placed them on top of the ones Sesshoumaru had just folded before turning around to look at the tall man.

"Did the man at the station yesterday say what time to come back?" she asked.

"No, we should probably just go and see what's happening."

After leaving the house, Rin and Sesshoumaru made their way down the street towards the station quietly. The clouds over heard seemed to be getting darker and darker and the wind whipped around them relentlessly. By the time they reached the station, Rin's eyes stung from the wind and she was glad when they finally stepped into the warm building. She followed Sesshoumaru over to the ticket desk and stood quietly beside him as she tried to get some warmth back into her.

"Don't get too comfortable in here," Sesshoumaru told her short while later. "The trains are running and ours will be here soon."

"That's a relief," Rin said with a broad smile.

* * *

Both Rin and Sesshoumaru had been very glad to get back to the apartment and Rin had decided that after a long hot bath, she would curl up in her comfortable bed for a while before going to work. Sesshoumaru had nodded when she told him her plans and left her to it, planning to be at the bar before her as normal.

When Sesshoumaru was preparing to leave, he noticed that she had yet to emerge from her room and wondered if she was aware of the time. Sighing to himself, he made his way towards her bedroom and noticed the door slightly open, but knocked anyway. Hearing a quiet sound, he pushed the door open only to find her curled up on the bed, her back to the door. At some point during her sleep, she had kicked away the covers and revealed her to be clothed in only her underwear. Why she slept in only that, Sesshoumaru didn't try to understand and merely pulled the covers over her as he sat on the edge of the bed and attempted to wake her up.

"You'll be late for work, Rin," he said when he thought she was waking up.

The petite woman mumbled something and rolled onto her back, dislodging the covers as she moved. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and tried to chase away the image of her clad in only her underwear from his mind, but failed miserably as his mind immediately called up an image of the dark purple underwear he had glimpsed before covering her. Cracking an eye open, he looked down at her, hoping she was awake and covered, but sighed when he realised that she wasn't. What would it take to wake her up? Giving up all hope of waking her up by talking to her, he reached out and gently shook her shoulder, his other hand covering his eyes as he knew she would not be pleased to be woken up by him when she was only dressed in her underwear.

"What?" Rin asked sleepily, cracking an eye open to look up at the person shaking her shoulder.

"You're finally awake."

Immediately recognising the deep voice, Rin blushed crimson as she remembered that she wasn't suitably dressed and squeaked in surprise as she pulled the covers up around her, not aware that he had already seen it all. When she controlled her blush and racing heart, she looked up at him and smiled to herself as she saw the hand covering his face.

"Is there something you wanted?" she asked quietly.

"You'll be late for work."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"All afternoon I think."

Her jaw almost dropped and she sat up instantly, springing out of bed and pulling on a pale blue dress over her head before rushing around the room trying to get ready and completely forgetting Sesshoumaru who still sat on her bed. Having now lowered his hand, he stared at her as she rushed from one side of the room to the other before sitting down beside him as she pulled on a pair of sandals and tied up her hair in a loose bun. When she thought she was ready, Rin tugged his arm and pulled him out into the living room as she put on a white jacket and once more checked her appearance in the mirror by the door.

"Thank you so much for waking me up!" Rin exclaimed as he ushered her towards the motorcycle outside.

"That's fine, but will it really be alright for you to work dressed like that?"

"It's too late to change now. I should've laid my work clothes out before I fell asleep."

Rin gave him a cheerful smile as she left his side when they reached the bar and darted inside to get ready for her shift. She could hear wolf whistles echoing around the room as she passed through quickly and sighed in relief as she closed the door to the bar behind her. Hanging up her jacket, Rin knew that Sesshoumaru had been right in questioning what she wore as it was low cut and showed more bare flesh that she was willing to let people in this place see. Sighing, she looked around and saw a black button up shirt that the male staff wore hanging up in an empty locker and immediately knew that she had found a solution to her problem. Pulling it from the clothes hanger, she shrugged it; tied the bottom of it up just under her breasts and did up a few buttons so as to cover her cleavage. Rin rolled up the long sleeves to her elbows and smiled at her appearance in the mirror.

After Rin had disappeared into the building, Sesshoumaru had stayed outside for a while longer, lit a cigarette and thought about what he had seen that day. He hadn't intended to see what he did, but now he couldn't get the images of her from his mind. Images of the lacy purple bra and the skimpy briefs popped into his mind at odd moments and were difficult to get rid of; although he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to get rid of them. Truth be told, she had looked incredible and so very enticing. Her skin looked smooth and he now wondered what it would be like to feel that skin beneath his hands, but hastily pushed that thought aside only for it to be replaced by a potentially more dangerous thought. Rin's full breasts had looked even more enticing than her skin and thoughts of what it would feel like for him to cup one of them in his hand were what finally pushed him to a conclusion. Somewhere along the line he had fallen for the tiny woman. He wasn't sure why or when, but he did know that he couldn't deny it any longer.

Pushing the door open, he stepped inside and looked around for the woman who now seemed to be at the centre of his world. Amber eyes widened as they located her standing behind the bar and he breathed a silent sigh of relief as he noticed a black shirt covering her voluptuous breasts, although in his opinion, her dress clung to her curves in the most indecent way that was sure to set the men's imaginations running wild. Resigning himself to watching an evening of fruitless flirtation, Sesshoumaru made his way over to the bar and sat down heavily in his usual seat. Rin appeared in front of him moments later with a beer and a cheerful smile.

"You were right about the dress," she said in a slightly breathless voice and then giggled. "I hope no one needs this shirt."

"It looks good," Sesshoumaru complimented, nodding at her as he lifted the bottle to his lips.

Rin smiled and turned to leave, but paused when she felt a gentle pressure on her arm. Turning around, she noticed that Sesshoumaru's large hand was wrapped around her wrist gently, holding her in place.

"Was there something else?" she asked, smiling cheerfully again as she turned around to look at him.

"I'll wait for you after work."

"You always do, thank you."

With a quick movement, Rin slipped her hand from his grasp easily and squeezed his hand gently before giving him a final smile and leaving him alone with his drink. As she walked away, she wondered why there seemed to be something different about his behaviour since coming into the bar that day. He never usually told her that he would wait for her, he was just there waiting for her when she stepped out of the bar at the end of her shift and Sesshoumaru never initiated physical contact and yet he had just done so. It baffled her, but it was also endearing and she couldn't help the smile that came to her face as she thought about him.

* * *

At the end of the evening, Sesshoumaru stood outside the door waiting for Rin as he usually did. Now that he had discovered his feelings for her, he was at a loss for what to do next. Did he tell her and hope she felt the same? Or did he wait a while and try to bring her around to feeling the same way about him before he told her? He was hopeless when it came to matters of the heart and it annoyed him that he didn't know what to do. The sound of the door opening caught his attention and he saw Rin step out of the building with a man in tow. It was obvious that the man's attention was not focused on her face and his wandering hands were reaching towards her as she stepped out of his reach and smiled tolerantly.

"I'll be fine getting home," Rin said, her eyes showing a slight anxiety about a more persistent than usual pursuer. "You don't need to come with me."

"You don't really want to go home alone, do you?" the drunk slurred as he drew closer to her. "It's going to be awful cold tonight."

"She's not going home alone," Sesshoumaru said in a cold voice as he pushed himself off the wall beside the door and took a step forward.

"Oh?" the drunk queried, eyebrow rising as he recognised Sesshoumaru. "You fancy your chances with the girl too? Sorry boy, I was here first. Try next time, now move along."

Rin took a step back from the drunken man and looked between him and Sesshoumaru anxiously. She had never heard Sesshoumaru use a voice as cold as that before and it sent shivers down her spine. The usual blank look that he kept on his face while at the bar seemed to have disappeared and was replaced by a glare that would've felled the man where he stood if looks could kill. Seeing him with such an expression and hearing his tone of voice, Rin suddenly understood why people warned her away from getting close to him, but she pushed the thoughts aside, knowing that this was not who he truly was. It also struck her that it was unusual for his demeanour to change so drastically when defending her. The last time he had done so, he had simply tripped a man over and after a blow to the back of the neck, sent him running in the opposite direction without showing any expression on his face, but now he was different and she wondered why.

"I'm not going anywhere," Sesshoumaru said in a dangerously low voice and then smirked at the man. "If we're going on a first come first serve basis, then I believe it's you who must move along."

"What?!" the drunk bellowed, anger getting the better of him.

"I don't need to explain myself to you if you are too drunk to understand."

Without another word to the spluttering man, Sesshoumaru turned to Rin who jumped slightly when she realised his attention was focused on her. His gaze softened the moment it landed on her and he held out his hand to her. Hesitantly, she accepted and allowed him to guide her to the car park while the drunken man they left behind shouted angrily and spewed curses at them. Sesshoumaru paused briefly when they reached his motorcycle to give the man a final cold look before swinging a long leg over the machine and settling himself comfortably while Rin looked over her shoulder at the man who was now stumbling towards them.

"He's too persistent," Sesshoumaru muttered and shook his head.

"What will happen?" Rin asked anxiously.

"We go home."

Before Rin could question him, Sesshoumaru had pulled her towards the motorcycle and settled her in front of him as he had done a long time ago when she overworked herself. When he was sure that she was comfortable, Sesshoumaru drove them out the car park, past the stumbling drunk and down the dark streets towards the apartment building while Rin could only bury her face in his shirt again as she tried to understand the change in his behaviour.

The journey back to the apartment was both pleasant and slightly awkward. Rin was unsure how to react to the protectiveness Sesshoumaru had shown back at the bar, but she had had no complaints when he had settled her in front of him on the motorcycle instead of behind as normal. Truthfully, she always felt safer sitting in front of him rather than behind, but she had never told him this for fear he would laugh at her. When the motorcycle came to a stop in the car park beside the apartment building, Sesshoumaru leaned back and looked at Rin who sat still against his chest, wondering what was going to happen next. Fortunately, they had simply made their way up to the apartment in companionable silence and Rin sighed happily as she stepped into the apartment she had come to think of as home.

"I'm going to change," she said with a smile as she started to make her way towards her bedroom.

"Wait," Sesshoumaru said quietly, catching her hand in his and halting her progress for the second time that night.

"What's wrong?" Rin asked, turning to look at him with a frown.

"Did the do anything to you?"

"Who?"

"The drunk at the bar."

"Oh," she smiled at him and shook her head. "No, he didn't do anything."

"Good."

Sesshoumaru turned away and let go of her hand as he made his way towards the living room, leaving Rin to stare at him in confusion. When she came into the living room a few minutes later, he noticed that she was dressed in her usual pyjamas but this time he could see the purple straps of her bra and images of what lay beneath the sleeveless shirt came to mind instantly. He sat down on the sofa heavily and glared into the glass of alcohol he had poured himself, looking up only when Rin sat beside him. She gave him an unsure smile and tilted her head to one side as she always did when she was curious.

"Is something wrong?" she asked quietly, biting her lip as she waited for a response.

"I was worried about you," Sesshoumaru admitted, not meeting her gaze as it returned to the glass in his hand.

"Why?"

"I thought that drunk did something to you."

"But he didn't."

"Good."

"Are you alright?" Rin asked, her voice unsure as she looked at him carefully.

"I'm fine, why?"

"You seem different today."

Sesshoumaru smirked slightly. "I'm the same as normal, only slightly wiser."

"I see."

Rin narrowed her eyes at him as though she could somehow find answers from him that way since his response was cryptic. She looked down at her hands for a moment and frowned as she struggled to understand him, but eventually gave up. About to get to her feet, Rin was halted when she felt an arm slip around her waist and pull her across the sofa. She looked up in surprise when she collided with Sesshoumaru's broad chest and her eyes widened considerably when his head dropped to her shoulder and he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Her mind seemed to have come to a stand still and she was at a complete loss for what to do and how to react. She could feel his breath against her skin and shivered slightly.

"Sesshoumaru…"

"Hush," he said quietly, his voice muffled. "Just relax."

Feeling her stiffen, Sesshoumaru felt the urge to sigh and instead sat up and placed his glass on the table nearby before turning his amber eyes to the woman beside him. Her eyes were wide and he could see confusion and happiness swirling in their depths. Rin said nothing as he looked into her eyes and then pulled her towards him again, his arm wrapped around her waist tightly and his other hand on her back, fingers playing with the tips of her hair. After what seemed like an eternity, Rin relaxed against him and Sesshoumaru smirked as he buried his face in her neck again and nuzzled it gently. She shivered again and her hands moved from her lap to his chest where they fisted in his shirt and she dropped her head to his shoulder, sighing softly.

"Have you had too much to drink?" she asked quietly, not moving an inch.

"No, why?" Sesshoumaru's voice was muffled once again as he nuzzled her neck again.

"You've never done this before."

Rin got no answer and was instead pulled closer against his broad chest. She had no problems with this kind of contact, but she couldn't help but wonder what had suddenly made him do this. Although he said that he had been worried about her, she doubted that it was the only reason. A squeak of surprise left her lips as he suddenly sat back, pulling her with him until she sat across his lap. Biting her lip, she looked at the buttons on the shirt she currently held onto.

"Don't be frightened, Rin," he whispered huskily into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "I wouldn't hurt you."

"I know," she replied and gathered enough courage to look up and smile.

Nodding his approval, Sesshoumaru wound his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, smirking when her own arms rose to his shoulders. He almost smiled when he felt her turn slightly to lean against him, pressing her full breasts into his chest and resting her head against his shoulder as she sighed contentedly. This was certainly not how he had expected to be spending the evening, but he wasn't complaining. Having a beautiful woman in his arms was always a feeling he relished, but when that woman was Rin, he didn't want the moment to end. One of the hands at her waist drifted down to rest on her leg, wanting nothing more than to slip beneath the fabric of her dress to feel the skin he had spent part of the evening thinking about, but that would come another time. At the moment he as content with everything as it was; there was no sense in rushing things when they had all the time in the world.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter VII**

That one night had changed everything between them. Although everything between them moved slowly, Rin had noticed subtle differences in the way the stoic man behaved and couldn't help but giggle. When they were at home, he would wrap an arm around her, holding her close against him as though he thought she would flee the moment he let her go. However, it was when they were at the bar that Rin noticed the biggest difference in him. There was never any physical contact between them there, but his eyes would narrow and glare daggers at any man who a little too much attention to her. Rin found this possessive behaviour endlessly amusing and very endearing. She would never have though that the stoic man who had initially scared her would end up being her latest romantic interest.

The man was full of surprises, Rin noted with a smile as she watched him appear in the living room beside her with a mug of coffee for her one cold morning. It was unusual for him to be up early in the morning, but he seemed to have fallen into the habit of doing so just to spend a little bit more time with her and she couldn't help but smile every time she saw him emerge from his bedroom and slump down onto the sofa, his hair dishevelled and clothes rumpled. He was good looking when he was properly dressed, but in Rin's opinion, he always looked best when he woke up.

"What are you doing today?" Rin asked as she accepted the coffee and watched him sit down heavily beside her.

"Nothing until later," he said quietly, still looking half asleep. "You?"

"I'm going to sort out someone who can finish what we started on the garden at the house and then I'm going to see my parents."

Sesshoumaru nodded but said nothing as he drank deeply from his mug of coffee. She usually visited her parents once every two weeks and evidently it was time to do so again. He couldn't believe she had been living with him for only a month and a half now, but it seemed so much longer.

"You're working tonight?" he asked, looking at her as he set his now empty mug down on the table.

"Same shift as usual," Rin replied with a smile.

"Do you want a lift to work?"

"If you don't mind. I'll be coming back here before work. In fact, I should be going now so I make sure everything gets done."

After biding him goodbye, Rin got to her feet and headed over to the short hallway and pulled on her shoes. She was just pulling on her jacket when two strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind and pulled her against a warm, solid chest. Smiling happily, Rin turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, giggling when he nuzzled her neck. It was his own way of saying goodbye to her and it was yet another thing about him that she found endearing. This time, however, when Rin tried to step back to make a move for the door, he didn't let go as he normally did. Looking up, she found an intense amber gaze trained on her and she bit her lip, wondering what he was thinking to make him look at her that way. Sesshoumaru tilted her face up and smirked before moving towards her and brushing his lips against her own for a moment before pulling away.

"See you later."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Throughout the day, Rin's mind had constantly gone back to the chaste kiss he had given her that morning. Part of her was happy that it had finally happened while another part of her fumed that he had teased her so and only given her one before ushering him out the door. She would gladly have cancelled her morning's plan to stay if she could have had more, but he had instead bid her farewell and left her craving more. A frown knit her brow as she approached the apartment building a few hours later and she paused to gaze up at it. He had done it deliberately knowing that she would come back wanting more. He was teasing her and she doing just as he what he wanted. A devious smile crossed her face as she made her way into the building. Two can play games and if he wanted to play, she would not deny him.

Sesshoumaru looked up as he heard the door close and saw Rin come into the room moments later. He narrowed his eyes when she merely waved at him before disappearing into her bedroom. Normally she would sit beside him and tell him what she had accomplished that day and snuggle into his side until she had to get ready for work. She was slightly late returning today so he supposed she worried about being late for work. A smirk crossed his face as he wondered how she had reacted to the kiss that morning and how long it would be before she came back wanting more. He would gladly give her more, but he was curious to find out how she was going to go about asking for more. Rin was polite and easy to embarrass so this would be very interesting.

"Rin, are you ready?" Sesshoumaru called from the living room as he pulled on his usual coat and waited for her.

"I'm coming," she replied and came out of her bedroom a moment later, smiling brightly at him.

A frown creased Sesshoumaru's brow as he saw her approach. Although she looked the same as normal, there was something about her that seemed different but he couldn't pin point what that was. Her smile grew when she came to a stop in front of him and grew even bigger when he wrapped his arms around her as always. Despite the fact that one of the reasons he had offered her accommodation was that she continued working at the bar, Sesshoumaru was beginning to regret making that condition. He didn't like other men ogling her like an item in a shop window, but there was little he could do about it short of telling her to quit her job, which he knew she wouldn't do without good reason. He could only hope that the evening went well as he didn't think he would be able to restrain himself as he had the last time a man had clearly been after more than pleasant conversation.

They arrived at the bar a short while later and Sesshoumaru slipped into his usual seat, aware that Osamu's eyes were on him but ignored the man. Rin appeared a short while later with smiles for everyone and was immediately busy refilling drinks and serving newcomers. After the sudden rush of people had subsided, she sighed softly and looked around, her eyes meeting Sesshoumaru's for a moment before her attention was drawn away.

"You're in high spirits tonight, girl," Osamu commented with a smile as she approached.

Rin giggled. "Life is good."

"You got yourself a fella yet?"

"You could say that."

Osamu lifted an eyebrow. "What's the boy like? If he don't treat you right, I'll cancel his birth certificate."

"No need to go that far," Saburou said with a smirk from beside his friend.

"You gonna tell us what's he like, girl?"

Rin cast a furtive glance over her shoulder to where Sesshoumaru sat. How was she going to describe him without giving away his identity? As she cast one last glance at him, a smile crossed her face as she saw that he was listening to the conversation even it didn't look like it.

"C'mon girl!" Osamu said in exasperation. "I don't wanna wait till I'm on my deathbed to hear what the boy's like."

"He's tall," Rin said, leaning on the bar in front of her with a thoughtful look. "He's kind and looks after me. He's exceptionally good looking, but I think he looks at his best when he wakes up."

"Hell's bells, girl!" Osamu exclaimed, missing the smirk that crossed Sesshoumaru's face as he listened. "I don't wanna know what you do in your spare time!"

"Just what do you think I meant?" Rin asked, raising an eyebrow in question as she watched Osamu's face turn slightly pink.

"He's got dirty thoughts in his head," Saburou laughed, clapping his rosy faced friend on the back.

"How else would she know what he looks like in the mornin'?" Osamu mumbled, still blushing slightly.

Rin laughed and stood up straight, crossing her arms. "I live with him," she said simply. "I can't help it if I notice how he looks when he stumbles into the living room after just having rolled out of bed."

"Gods, girl," the older man sighed as he downed the last of his drink. "Be clear about those sort of things. Who is this boy anyways?"

"That is my secret," Rin said with a broad smile. "I'm not having you cause trouble for him."

"C'mon, it ain't fair to tell us that and not who he is."

"You really want to know?"

"'Course, we wouldn't have asked if we didn't."

"You promise not to cause trouble for him?"

"Can we not just say we'll cause trouble if he hurts you?" Saburou asked, now curious about the mystery man.

"Well, I suppose that's alright, but he won't," Rin said with a smile.

"You sure?" Osamu looked sceptical.

"Very."

"Alright then, we promise," the older man sighed. "Now who is he?"

Sesshoumaru looked on with curiosity as he wondered what Rin planned to do. Was she just playing and would then turn around and say that she wasn't going to tell them? Or would she actually tell them? He was so lost in contemplation that he didn't noticed Rin step out from behind the bar, Osamu and Saburou's eyes following her as she walked around the bar. It was only when he heard her soft footsteps growing closer that he looked around and saw her approaching him, a smile pulling her lips. When she stopped in front of him, Sesshoumaru was about to question her on what she was doing but all thoughts were wiped clean out of his head when her tiny hands grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him forwards, her lips meeting his. Amber eyes widened for a moment before he smirked and lifted a hand to cup the back of her head, tilting it backwards as he deepened the kiss. Completely forgetting where she was, Rin wound her arms around his neck and smiled as she felt him pull her closer. She smiled radiantly up at him when they finally parted.

"That was how you planned to get more?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly, knowing that she would understand exactly what he meant.

"You teased me," she whispered. "I thought it only fair to tease you."

"You're not doing a very good job of it though."

"Am I not?"

Rin grinned at him and pressed a chaste kiss against his lips before turning around and walking back to her position behind the bar. Osamu and Saburou stared at her in amazement, not sure what to say about what they had just seen. Rin simply smiled as though nothing had happened and went back to work, completely ignoring the looks of disbelief the two older men gave her and the narrowed eyes Sesshoumaru directed at her. Everything had gone according to plan. She had gotten another kiss and had no doubt left Sesshoumaru wanting more. Her smile widened as she thought about what a good day she had had.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Sesshoumaru had been unusually quiet on the journey back from the bar that night, but when they stood in the apartment afterwards, he turned to look at her with a thoughtful expression. Rin looked at him curiously as she waited for him to speak, but instead he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. She stiffened in surprise but relaxed soon enough, melting into his warm embrace and sighing happily. Sesshoumaru stepped back after a moment and led her over to the sofa where they sat quietly for a while before he looked at her.

"Are you not worried about people will think if they find out we're together?" he asked seriously, holding both her hands gently as he waited for a response.

"I don't care what people think," Rin replied.

"People don't like me, Rin."

"That's their loss. Why does it bother you?"

"I don't want people to avoid you because you're associated with me."

"It doesn't matter," she said with a gentle smile. "I want to be with you and I don't care if others don't like it."

Deciding to end the conversation there, Rin leaned forward and wrapped her slim arms around his neck. Sesshoumaru was stunned. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had shown him any affection. Wrapping his arms around her, he leaned back against the sofa and relished in the feeling of being cared for, it was a feeling he had forgotten over the years spent alone.

He didn't know how long they sat on the sofa in content silence, but when he heard a quiet sigh, Sesshoumaru looked down at Rin and found her asleep. The tiniest of smiles curved his lips before disappearing as he leaned forward to pull her flush against him as he made himself comfortable. Sleeping on the sofa wouldn't be so bad if she was with him.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"You know, this wasn't really what I expected when I accepted your offer of accommodation," Rin said with a smile one morning as she emerged from the bedroom.

Sesshoumaru looked up from the book he was reading and noticed her leaning against the wall nearby, dressed only in one of his shirts and smirked at the sight. For once he had woken up before her and had left her to sleep while he contented himself with reading a book he hadn't touched in years. From where he sat, she looked incredible. The shirt reached mid thigh, the sleeves were so long that her hands were lost and the top few buttons were open enough to catch a glimpse of full breasts beneath the thin fabric.

"What wasn't?" he asked, setting aside his book and pulled her down onto his lap.

"Well I expected to use one of your bedrooms and the one you gave me hasn't been slept in for a couple of weeks now."

"Does that matter? You're using one of them now and isn't that what you expected?"

"That's true. I didn't expect this though."

"Neither did I," Sesshoumaru admitted, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

Rin turned around so she straddled him and smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair. He smirked up at her and ran his hands up her bare legs to her hips as he leaned towards her, intent on capturing her luscious lips, but a loud knocking on the door stopped him before he even got halfway. Rin sat back on his knees and looked in the direction of the front door with a curious expression before turning to Sesshoumaru.

"Were you expecting anyone today?" she asked.

"No," he muttered, unimpressed by the interruption and by the thought of having to deal with someone unexpected.

"I better go get dressed," Rin sighed and then smiled at him. "Can I keep the shirt?"

Sesshoumaru smirked and kissed her gently. "You can keep the shirt."

Sesshoumaru watched in amusement as Rin grinned and got to her feet, disappearing into the bedroom they now shared. There was another loud knock at the door and he growled softly as he made his way over to the door. Sighing to himself, he pulled the door open and his eyes widened as he was pushed to one side and a small group of people pushed past him and into the living room he had just vacated. He recognised them instantly as his family and felt the urge to groan. He did not want to deal with them now or ever.

"Sesshoumaru!" his father, Inutaisho, boomed from the centre of the room, a frown creasing his forehead.

"What?" he asked even though he didn't want to hear the response.

"You will cease this foolishness immediately!" Inutaisho said seriously, grimacing as he watched his son light a cigarette.

"It's not foolishness," Sesshoumaru said simply, leaning against the closest wall and exhaling a cloud of smoke. "It's how I like to live."

"It's not healthy!" his stepmother, Izayoi, exclaimed, her face downcast by the sight of the cigarette.

"Why do you care now?" Sesshoumaru asked with a shrug. "It didn't bother you before."

"I don't want to have to run this damn company, Sesh!" Inuyasha bellowed.

"Neither do I."

"You always said that you did!" Inuyasha said sadly.

"I changed my mind."

Izayoi and Inutaisho stepped away from the siblings knowing that coming between them in an argument was a bad idea. It was best to leave them until they were done before trying to talk normally.

"You can't seriously tell me that you think sitting in a bar is better than being the head of a company?" Inuyasha demanded.

"If you think it's so much better, then you take over it. I don't want it," Sesshoumaru replied calmly with a shrug.

"I have a family now, Sesh! I can't it all on my own!"

"So you want to pass your burdens on to me? I don't think so, Inuyasha."

"I need your help!"

"No, you're looking for a scapegoat. You made your bed, so lie in it. My life is just fine the way it is."

Almost as though to prove his point, Rin emerged from the bedroom her hair hanging over her shoulder as she finished the long braid. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the crowded living room and looked to Sesshoumaru for an answer as to who they were. Pushing himself off the wall he leaned against, Sesshoumaru made his way across the living room and draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side before looking at his family seriously.

"As I said, my life is just fine. I don't want any part of this family until you realise that I will not become the head of the company."

"You need a routine in your life; something to aspire towards!" Inutaisho argued, forgetting the fact that he didn't who know Rin was.

"I have both of those."

"Don't argue with your father, dear," Izayoi pleaded and gestured to Rin. "Would you introduce us?"

"No," Sesshoumaru said flatly. "When you're willing to accept that this is how I want to live, then I'll introduce you. Please leave."

Rin watched in shocked silence as the trio of people slowly left the room. Sesshoumaru followed behind them as though making sure that they left the building and returned moments later, pausing briefly to throw away the cigarette end. He turned back to the still figure of Rin in the doorway and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her neck gently as he willed his racing pulse to calm. After a little while, Rin stepped back and looked up at him.

"Are you alright?" she asked with a frown.

"I'm fine," Sesshoumaru replied, a small smile tugging his lips when he saw her concern. "Be careful of them, Rin."

"Who?"

"My family."

"Why?"

"They'll try to use you against me to make me do what they want. I don't want you to be involved in a pointless family feud."

Nodding, Rin allowed herself to be led over to the sofa when she was immediately taken in his arms again. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder as she thought about what had happened. Rin sat back and looked into his serious face for a moment as she tried to choose her next word carefully.

"Sesshoumaru…"

"Yes?" he turned his amber eyes to her and waited patiently for her to continue.

"I've been thinking about something for the past few days and I wanted your opinion."

"Oh?"

"I was thinking about furnishing the house outside town."

"Why? Do you still want to rent it out?"

"Not really. I was thinking more along the lines of living there," she bit her lip as she met his gaze.

Amber eyes closed for a moment as Sesshoumaru tried to take in the information given to him. She wanted to leave? She wanted to move out of the town? It so surreal that he began to wonder if he was imagining the conversation.

"I thought you didn't want to live alone there?" he asked, pleased by how calm his voice sounded.

"I don't."

"So why furnish it?"

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to come with me. Since you're on bad terms with your family, it'd be a good chance to have a break somewhere they can't find you."

"Are you serious, Rin?" Sesshoumaru asked, unable to mask his surprise as he turned to look at her.

"Perfectly serious."

"What about your job?"

"I'll cut down my hours," she replied with a shrug. "It's doesn't matter too much. I'll find another."

"It sounds like a good idea, but are you sure?" he asked again.

"I'm very sure."


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** I'm sorry this took me so long to update but I was really stumped for a while. Anyhow, I hope that this chapter is okay for the time being. I'll try to finish this sometime soon, but I'm not promising any immediate updates since I may not be able to keep those promises. I've got a hectic few weeks ahead of me so updates may not be as often as I'd like, but please bear with me. I will get all the unfinished stories done eventually and then I'll start working on a couple of sequels :)

xMxAx

**Chapter VIII**

Ever since Rin and Sesshoumaru had spent the night in her old home, she had been toying with the idea of moving back there. It had been comforting to be somewhere she could call home and although the house brought back many memories, she found that she was able to deal with her emotions now. Witnessing the scene with Sesshoumaru's parents had been the deciding factor and she was pleased he had agreed with her suggestion as she had thought it would be a good idea for him to spend some time away from the city where most of his problems lay. Between them, they had managed to furnish the house and Rin had worked on touching up the décor to make the house seem a bit more homely and had been very pleased with the final results.

Rin had spoken to her manager and he had agreed to let her change her shifts so that she would no longer be working until late at night as she normally did. A few of the regulars overheard the conversation and had implored her not to change her hours, but she had simply smiled and waved away their pleas. She also cut down the days she would work at the bar in favour of getting a part time job a little closer to home and although Sesshoumaru had disapproved of her working two jobs initially, he eventually gave up trying to convince her not to get a second job. Rin had yet to find a second job so he supposed he still had a chance to change her mind, but he didn't have much faith in his ability to persuade her to change her mind.

Eventually the day came when Rin would work her last long shift at the bar and the day when she and Sesshoumaru would finally move into their new home. After picking up their suitcases, the pair left the apartment that had become Rin's home over the past few weeks and Sesshoumaru accompanied Rin to the bar as he always did. He took a seat in his usual seat, ignoring the looks he got from the other men for carrying two suitcases. Rin appeared shortly after and smiled brightly at him as she served the regulars before moving over to where he sat.

"I'll take the suitcases to the house and then come back for you," Sesshoumaru said quietly as he pushed his bottle to one side.

"I can get there on my own," Rin replied with a smile as she leaned on the bar in front of her.

"You are not getting on the train alone in the middle of the night," he countered firmly, his hand sliding around to the back of her neck and pulling her towards him.

"You're too protective."

"That's not a bad thing."

Rin's next words were lost as Sesshoumaru leaned towards her and captured her lips with his and kissed her hungrily. Smiling into the kiss, Rin allowed him to deepen the kiss as she tangled her hands in his long hair. When they parted, Sesshoumaru smirked before giving her a chaste kiss and getting to his feet, ruffling her hair before making his way out the door. Rin smiled to herself as she watched him leave before turning her attention back to the few men who sat at the bar. A blush stained her cheeks as she realised that Osamu was smirking at her.

"He treatin' you good?" Osamu asked gruffly when she came over to refill their drinks.

"I'd say that's obvious," Saburou interjected with a grin.

* * *

It had been a week since Rin started her new hours at the bar and since she and Sesshoumaru had moved out of the city and she found the life was far more pleasant outside the city. Sesshoumaru had even found a job with a local mechanic which he seemed to enjoy and Rin found a part time job at the supermarket they had visited when they had spent the night in the house before it was furnished. Initially, Sesshoumaru had protested when she had told him about her job and she had simply smiled and waved away his words saying that he worried too much. Eventually, all worries over her working too much amounted to nothing when Rin herself walking home every night in the company of Sesshoumaru after he promised to meet her after work everyday. Neither of them had heard anything from his parents since the day Rin had met them, but Sesshoumaru seemed to be convinced that they would do something even though it seemed very unlikely as they did not seem to know where their son was. Hours at the bar had been reduced to once a week and everything seemed to be working out perfectly.

Unfortunately, their few weeks of bliss soon came to an end much to Rin's disappointment and Sesshoumaru's irritation. Everything had changed one day when Rin had a day off from working at the supermarket and was left alone at home while Sesshoumaru was at work. She had been trying to decide if she liked the way the living room was currently arranged when she heard a knock at the front door. Frowning, she made her way over to see who was visiting. Pulling the door open, she was tempted to close it and go back to her musing in the living room since she was convinced that her mind was playing tricks on her, but a large hand prevented her from closing the door. She stared at the hand that rested against the door and then glanced up at it's owner, marvelling at how much he looked like Sesshoumaru. Sighing, she eventually crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at the man standing in front of her with a slightly apologetic look on his face.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Rin asked in an unusually cold tone as she eyed the man suspiciously.  
The man winced visibly but gave her a crooked smile. "You're so much like Sesh that it's almost as though you're his female equivalent."  
"I don't believe that was the answer to my question."  
"You won't drop the cold tone of voice if I tell you I'm his brother and I need to speak to you?"  
"Why should I?" Rin asked, frowning as she looked the man over. "What makes you think you can find him here anyway?"  
"I'm not stupid," the man replied, becoming serious as he pulled back his hand and shoved it into the pocket of his jacket. "I know you're the latest woman to occupy his bed and previous experience tells me that he will not be very far from where you are."  
Rin smirked. "It seems I'm in the presence of a genius. However, I suggest that you leave me alone. I'm not interested in your little family feud. If you came to find me, you must've known that I would be alone. I don't care about why you came and I don't want to hear what you've got to say. If it's truly important then you won't mind coming back when Sesshoumaru is present as well."

Without another word, Rin took advantage of the man's shock and closed the door firmly, locking it with an audible click before turning and making her way back into the living room. It was there that Sesshoumaru found her several hours later when he returned from work. He had been surprised to find the door locked, but Rin sitting sedately in the living room. Deciding not to think much of it, he sat down beside her and smirked when she looked at him with a surprised look on her face.

"When did you come back?" she asked, frowning as she glanced at her watch.  
"Just now. What are you doing? It's unusual for you to be so dazed," Sesshoumaru asked, looking at her carefully as he waited for her response.  
"I was just thinking."  
"About?"  
"Your family."  
"I see. Why would you be thinking about them?" he asked, frowning at the mention of them.  
"Your brother came to visit me today."  
"Why?"  
"I don't know. I didn't give him a chance to tell me and just closed the door in his face."  
"Good girl."

Rin's eyes widened slightly when she felt an arm slip around her waist before she was pulled against Sesshoumaru's warm, firm chest. Sighing softly, she closed her eyes and snuggled closer to him as he pulled her onto his lap and nuzzled her neck sat in silence for a little while until Rin eventually grew curious about what Sesshoumaru was thinking and bit her lip as she looked at him seriously.

"What?" Sesshoumaru asked, staring back at her with a slightly confused expression.  
"I was wondering what you were thinking."  
Sesshoumaru smirked. "I knew that my family would visit you at some point. What did you tell my brother?"  
"Just that if he seriously wanted to talk to me, he should come back when you were here," Rin replied with a nonchalant shrug before looking at him curiously. "Have they done this sort of thing before?"  
"They have. In fact they seem to do it everytime they discover that there is a woman in my life."  
"Then that's why none of the relationships have lasted?"  
"Partly," Sesshoumaru said with a sigh. "My family is convinced that the reason why I act the way I do is because of the company I keep. When they realise that I actually might be interested in a woman who they don't think is suitable, they make pests of themselves. They found out about you purely by chance and I had been hoping that they wouldn't ever discover our relationship, but it seems that that will not happen."  
"Have you always been on such bad terms with your family?"  
"No, not always."

Amber eyes closed as Sesshoumaru leaned back in his seat while Rin sat still on his lap, waiting patiently to hear the story. Sesshoumaru opened his eyes after a moment and looked at her seriously before pulling her against him, resting his cheek on the top of her head as he traced abstract patterns on her skin beneath her shirt. Sighing softly, Rin relaxed against him and Sesshoumaru couldn't help but smirk slightly when she seemed to melt against him. Pulling her closer, he took a deep breath and cleared his throat as he prepared to tell her the long story he had not told anyone in a long time.

"We were quite close at one point actually. My brother and I have always been at each other's throats but it never interfered with the family. From a young age I knew that I was supposed to take over the company when I finished school and my father thought me capable, but as I grew up, I began to realise that I didn't like my future being decided for me," Sesshoumaru said quietly.  
"So you rebelled?" Rin asked, slipping her arms around his neck and snuggling closer.  
"I suppose you could say that. I didn't plan to rebel, I just decided to do what I wanted to do. Alcohol never really appealed to me, but after a while whether or not it tasted nice didn't matter and it was the same with cigarettes, I suppose. I went in search of places to drink where I knew my father would never find me."  
"And you found the little bar I worked in?"  
"I did, but it was long before you started working there. There have been numerous women who worked there and most of them gave up after only a week or so."  
"Hm, they gave up too easily," Rin said with a smile.  
"It was quite a surprise when you started working there, you know," Sesshoumaru said thoughtfully.  
"Oh?"  
"Everyone was betting how long it would be before you left as well."  
"Well I'm tougher than I look!" Rin exclaimed with a grin.  
"You certainly are."  
"So what do you think your family will do with me?"  
"I don't know. They might try to convince you to leave me or they might even try to make a deal of some kind with you. They're devious and they have a lot of power in the city so they're capable of just about anything. Just be careful of them."

* * *

The days after the unexpected visit passed quickly and there was no sign of anyone related to Sesshoumaru. Rin didn't particularly care if they wanted to come back to talk to her because she would simply do the same thing she had done the time before, but Sesshoumaru was convinced that his family were plotting something sinister. Eventually the day came when both of them came face to face with what Sesshoumaru had been dreading since the day his family had burst into his apartment back in the city. He had been sitting quietly with Rin in the living room one Saturday when Rin had left him to answer a knock at the door. After a short while, Rin returned to the living room with a livid expression on her face and sat down heavily beside him, huffing angrily as she crossed her arms over her chest. Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrow at her unusually hostile behaviour and was about to question her when a movement caught his eye. Looking up, he stiffened when he recognised the three figures standing in the living room doorway with uncertain looks on their faces.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly as he slipped an arm around Rin's waist, hoping to calm her somehow.  
"We need to talk," his father said seriously, sitting down on the nearest chair and looking at his son with an unusually stern expression.  
"I don't believe there is anything we have to say to each other that hasn't already been said," Sesshoumaru said with a shrug, glad when Rin relaxed against him a moment later.  
"This is quite childish, we need to come to an agreement of some sort. We're both grown men after all."  
"It took you a long time to come to that realisation."  
"Don't argue, dear," Izayoi said quietly. "Please just listen to what your father has to say."  
"Very well," Sesshoumaru said impatiently. "Speak."

Sesshoumaru watched his father carefully as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he tried to think of the words he needed. Beside him, Rin shifted slightly, leaning against him and watching the scene with interest as she watched the older man stare at his son to herself, she rested her head against Sesshoumaru's shoulder and smiled inwardly when she felt his arm tighten around her even though he said nothing.

"Is there no way for you to come back to the family?" Inutaisho asked, a pleading look on his face.  
"Why would I want to return to the family? You simply gave me orders and expected me to follow them. I enjoy my life the way it is now," Sesshoumaru said with a nonchalant shrug.  
"You enjoy drinking and smoking in dirty little bars and having hussies occupy your bed?" Inuyasha exclaimed in disbelief.  
"Now look here," Rin said suddenly, sitting up and glaring at the younger brother venomously. "I don't care what your problems are with your brother, but I am not a hussy."  
"If you're not going to be polite, then I suggest you leave," Sesshoumaru interrupted hastily, pulling Rin back against him and frowning at his family.  
"That was very rude," Izayoi admonished Inuyasha sternly.  
"Putting that aside," Inutaisho said with a voice tinged with irritation and exasperation. "We need your help, Sesshoumaru. You are more qualified than your brother to run the business and everyone knows that."  
"Perhaps I am, but I'm not interested in that business. Like I said, I'm happy the way I am now."  
"The company needs you!"  
"No, it does not. It does not need me in particular, all it needs is a strong and capable president."  
"But you are the best candidate for that job!"  
"That is only because you spend the majority of your time making sure I was capable of taking over the company when you could also have taught Inuyasha. It's entirely your own fault that the future company president knows nothing."  
"Can we not make a deal?"  
"What did I say to you the other day?" Sesshoumaru asked Rin with a smirk before turning to his father, his smirk still in place. "I'm not going to agree to anything until I hear what you have in mind."

Sighing audibly, Inutaisho leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together tightly. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Sesshoumaru and then glanced briefly at the woman beside him. It was obvious that this woman meant more to Sesshoumaru than the other women had done if he had left the city to live with her in her family's home and that could be a problem. Closing his eyes briefly, Inutaisho considered his options. If he was going to get Sesshoumaru to agree to anything, the offer would most likely have to include that woman. Coming to a decision, the head of the family opened his eyes and looked at his son seriously.

"If you are so against becoming the next company president," Inutaisho began, leaning back in his seat as he spoke. "Would you consider helping me train Inuyasha to take your place?"  
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "Why would you need my help when you managed to train me just fine on your own?"  
"I am older now, Sesshoumaru. Besides, you might have ideas of your own that could help him."  
"And I would have nothing to do with running the company? Not even any menial tasks?"  
"None whatsoever."  
"There has to be something else you want. Surely you are not willing to give up so easily?"  
"All I ask is that you stop your bad habits and return to your old apartment."  
"That's it?"  
"That's it."  
"It is something to consider certainly," Sesshoumaru said slowly, glancing down at Rin who returned his gaze silently. "However, I do not agree with what you ask me to give up."  
"Why?" Inutaisho demanded impatiently.  
"I can easily give up the alcohol and the smoking, but I will not give up Rin."  
"I never said that you had to."  
"I was just making myself clear," Sesshoumaru said firmly. "But in terms of moving back to my own apartment, that is something that I will discuss with Rin in our own time."  
"You will consider the deal then?"  
"I will discuss it with Rin and inform you of my decision."

There was a long silence as father and son stared at each other, hoping to see something in the other's expression that would give away his thoughts. Eventually, Inutaisho sighed and rose to his feet. Nodding at his eldest son, he simply told him to be quick with his decision before walking out of the room with the rest of the family in tow. When the front door closed, Sesshoumaru sighed and relaxed against the sofa. Rin glanced up at him with a slight frown. If he was going to move back to his old apartment, it would complicate things between them and although she was glad that his father seemed to have finally accepted his son's decision, she wondered if that was truly worth the trouble that their relationship would go through if Sesshoumaru accepted the deal. Almost as though he knew what she was thinking, Sesshoumaru pulled Rin against him and nuzzled her neck gently.

"I will not give you up," he murmured against her neck, his grip on her tightening as he spoke.  
"I think you might have to eventually," Rin said sadly and sat back, biting her lip as she thought over their situation.  
"I mean what I say," Sesshoumaru said seriously. "If I go back to the city, will you come with me?"  
"I have nowhere to live and only a part time job," she said with a helpless shrug. "What will I do with this place if I went back to the city?"  
"Then we will stay here."  
"But one of the conditions of the deal was you moving back to the city!"  
"That may be so, but if my help is as valuable as my father makes it seem, then he will simply have to deal with that slight alteration to the agreement."

Sesshoumaru left no room for arguments as he rose to his feet and swept Rin up into his arms. She sighed softly and wrapped her arms around his neck as he made his way to the bedroom. Going back to the city wouldn't be such a bad thing. They could probably use this house as a holiday home since most people seemed to have one of those somewhere. The manager at the bar would probably be overjoyed if she appeared and asked for her hours to be returned to the way they were, but she wondered how different life would be if Sesshoumaru would no longer be sitting at the end of the bar, watching over her and making sure she got home safely each night. Would the change be for the better or for worse? She couldn't tell but she knew that the only way to know would be to make the change and hope for the best.

"Sesshoumaru?" Rin questioned softly, smiling slightly at him as he laid her gently on the bed and stretched out beside her.  
"Yes?"  
"Do you suppose life would be different if we went back to the city?"  
"I suppose it would in a way," Sesshoumaru murmured, leaning back against the pillows and wrapping an arm around her waist when she leaned against him. "There may be slight changes, but as long as you are there, I don't think it'll be anything I can't deal with."  
"Hm, you're a romantic at heart, aren't you?"  
"Not really. You seem to have a calming effect on me. Normally I would have flown into a rage and simply thrown the family out instead of listening to them."  
Rin giggled. "I made my decision."  
"About what?"  
"About what we were talking about before we left the living room."  
"Oh?"  
"I don't really mind moving back to the city, but only as long as I can have my room back."  
Sesshoumaru raised a silver eyebrow. "There was really no questioning where you would stay if we went back to the city. You will get your room back, but it will not be the one you used before."  
"Why not?" RIn asked with a slight frown.  
"Because there is no longer any need for us to use separate bedrooms, is there?"  
"That's true," she replied, her smile disappearing as a smile took it's place.

Sighing contently, Rin closed her eyes and drifted into sleep. The future looked uncertain at the present, but she knew that if everything worked out the way it was supposed to, the future would be much happier than the present. The only thing she could do was support Sesshoumaru and hope for the best. It was obvious that his family didn't approve of her although she was inclined to believe that perhaps Izayoi had a different opinion from the other two men. Her life had changed so much since she had met this man and if she could help him just a little to show her appreciation for all he had done for her, she would jump at the chance. This deal Inutaisho had suggested was the chance she had been waiting for. Part of her feared that she was looking at the whole situation through rose-tinted glasses, but another part of her knew that she should not be thinking of herself in this situation. As sleep claimed her, she contented herself with the knowledge that if anything did happen, Sesshoumaru would be there to help her work through any problem that arose.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter****IX**

Much to Rin's delight, the manager at the bar she had worked at had given her back her old hours and had welcomed her back with open arms. The regulars had cheered when she turned up at the same time she always had and were eager to hear what had brought her back. While Rin was contentedly settling back into her old lifestyle, Sesshoumaru was struggling to adjust to his new lifestyle. He had agreed to stop the smoking and the drinking in exchange for Rin being with him, but he was finding it more difficult than he had originally thought. It wasn't hard to give up the drinking or the smoking, but knowing that Rin was going to the bar late at night by herself did not sit well with him at all. She had banned him from going anywhere near the bar for fear he would fall back into his old habits and much to her amusement, he had listened to her.

Life fell into a routine that took some adjusting to, but soon the pair found that their everyday life was a lot easier than they had expected. Rin found it immensely amusing when she had woken up early as normal and had wandered into the kitchen to make breakfast only to find Sesshoumaru already seated at the small table with a mug of coffee in his hand and dressed in a suit. He had glared at her as she giggled helplessly at the sight but cracked a tiny smile when she wrapped her arms around him when her laughter had subsided. Every morning she saw him dressed so, it always struck her that before moving back to the city, she had never seen him wear a shirt that was fully buttoned up. When she brought this fact to his attention, Sesshoumaru merely shrugged and said he preferred shirts the way he always wore them, but he couldn't wear them like that for the sake of propriety.

Even though Rin wasn't particularly fond of his family and thought that their first impression had been rather poor, she found herself associating with them quite often. As time passed, she came to know Sesshoumaru's step mother, Izayoi, and really enjoyed her company. Gradually, she came to know Inutaisho as well although she was still a bit wary of him, but overall, she had to admit that the whole family was quite nice if they got their own way. However, Rin couldn't say that she liked Inuyasha at all. He had insulted her on more than one occasion and his short temper and bad manners grated on her nerves badly. She met his wife and had to admit that she had been surprised any woman would subject herself to living the rest of her life with Inuyasha, but the woman, Kagome, was pleasant and seemed to be quite a strong woman, which Rin supposed helped when living with the devil incarnate. Sesshoumaru found the Rin's dislike of Inuyasha quite amusing and actively encouraged it since he didn't like his brother much either. It was definitely not one big happy family, but Rin supposed it was better than no family at all.

*-*-*-*-*

"We ain't seen yer fella around lately," Osamu commented one evening as Rin served him his usual drink. "He ain't done a runner, has he?"

Rin laughed. "No, he hasn't. He's probably still at work, but considering how late it is, he might be home by now."

"Good," the older man said, nodding his approval at her response. "I'll cancel his birth certificate if he's hurt ya!"

"Calm down, old man," Saburou commented with a smirk. "I think we'd be able to tell if he'd hurt her, don't you agree?"

"I s'pose. Why don't he come in 'ere any more? We not good enough for the working man? When did the boy get a job anyway! He spent most of his time in here!"

While Osamu continued his little rant about Sesshoumaru, Rin smiled tolerantly and wondered how she was supposed to answer those questions, or if indeed she should even bother. It wasn't any of the other man's business, but he was clearly interested so it may been difficult to avoid the subject forever. Sighing softly, Rin decided to bend the truth a bit and spin a tale for the two men so she wasn't revealing so much about Sesshoumaru's background. She assumed that if he had wanted to discuss it with these men, he would have done so already but since he hadn't, she guessed he didn't want to. Before she could answer, the door opened and in walked Sesshoumaru. Rin's eyes narrowed as she looked at him and took in his appearance. He still wore his suit but it was rumpled, his tie crooked and the top few buttons of his shirt undone. Amber eyes met brown and Sesshoumaru smirked as he saw Rin's scowl, moving towards the bar to sit in his normal seat.

"Speak 'o the devil," Osamu commented with a smirk.

Rin ignored the older man and stalked over to Sesshoumaru with a ferocious frown on her face. He watched her come over and took in her ill temper with a smirk. She came to a stop in front of him and put her hands on her hips and looked at him in much the same way a mother would look at one of her children when they've displeased her. Rin was very aware of the fact that quite a few of the people seated at the bar were watching her curiously and she was also very aware that she was probably tempting fate by going over to Sesshoumaru intending to berate him. Still, she pushed aside her thoughts and returned her focus to the man sitting in front of her. He was looking at her with amusement in his eyes and an innocent expression on his face as he waited for her to speak.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, keeping her voice low and even.

"I wanted to see you," Sesshoumaru replied simply, shrugging off the comment as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You could've waited until I got home. I'll only be here another hour!"

"I didn't want to wait."

"What are your parents going to think? They're going to think I'm a bad influence again!"

"I don't care what they think. I wanted to see you so I came here."

A sigh escaped her lips and she shook her head slightly. Sesshoumaru didn't seem to understand that his family blamed her for the way he behaved and she wondered why he didn't seem to understand that fact. Or maybe he did and he didn't care? She narrowed her eyes at him and sighed again, debating whether she could get away with just turning around and ignoring him for the rest of the evening before deciding against it. Past experiences had taught her that he was very persuasive when he wanted to be and he would win every argument they had no matter how playful it was. There was simply no winning with this man. He had even managed to use her small stature against her even though he knew her lack of a height was a sore point for her. A tiny smile tugged her lips as she turned her gaze back to him. If he wanted to do something, he would do it regardless of what others might think or what the consequences of his actions might be.

"You won't go home?" Rin asked after a moment of silence.

"No."

"What if you father hears about you coming here?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Oh well, if you're sure about that then you can stay here, but you won't be drinking and there'll be no smoking."

"Yes, ma'am," Sesshoumaru replied with a smirk as he nodded his consent.

The end of the evening arrived quickly and Rin found herself walking out of the bar with Sesshoumaru like she used to do. She smiled to herself at the familiarity of everything and sighed contently as she was led to the car that Sesshoumaru now used. She couldn't get used to the fact that he drove a car now, although she was glad that it was at least warmer than travelling around on his previous preferred mode of transportation. When they arrived back at the apartment, they found Inutaisho standing outside the door with a frown on his face. Rin sighed to herself, knowing that this was probably not going to be a pleasant confrontation.

"I'm not pleased, Sesshoumaru," Inutaisho said sternly once they were all inside. "I specifically asked you to stop your bad habits."

"Did I not say he would find out?" Rin exclaimed suddenly, turning to look at her lover with an exasperated expression. "Honestly, you do make life difficult for yourself sometimes!"

Inutaisho and Sesshoumaru watched as Rin shook her head and disappeared into the bedroom. Glancing at the clock and realising it was just after midnight, Sesshoumaru supposed she was going to bathe before going to bed and was simply going to leave him alone with his father. Sighing, he mentally made a note to get back at her for simply abandoning him and then turned to his father with a frown.

"Contrary to what you believe," Sesshoumaru said in an icy tone. "I have not had a single alcoholic drink since we made our agreement."

"Then why were you visiting that run down bar?" Inutaisho asked in an equally cold voice.

"Do you have a problem with me wanting to see my lover and wanting to escort her home?"

"She can get home by herself. You don't need to hover over her constantly like a mother hen."

"So am I to believe then, that if our roles were reversed and it was Izayoi who worked in that bar, you would let her get home by herself?"

"Of course not!"

"Then why must I do it?"

There was silence as the elder man tried to come up with a suitable argument but failed. Sighing heavily, Inutaisho shrugged his shoulders and glared at his son. The boy had a point; there was no denying that, but the whole situation still set him on edge.

"That girl is a bad influence on you," Inutaisho muttered. "She'll lead you astray if you're not careful."

"She's a better influence than you are," Sesshoumaru pointed out casually. "You taught me to be ruthless when dealing with others, but Rin taught me otherwise."

"You need to be ruthless to get what you want!"

"I prefer her methods to yours. Have you ever wondered why people seem to respect you but badmouth you at the first chance they get?"

"I don't care about such things," Inutaisho scoffed as he crossed his arms.

"It's because you are not as great as you'd like to think."

"You are hardly one to talk. If I hadn't convinced you to come back to the city you would have become an alcoholic or worse!"

"I enjoy a drink as much as the next man, but I was never in danger of becoming an alcoholic. Besides, you have no right to criticise me or the way I live my life. You only seek me out when it's convenient for you."

"I have every right to criticise you! I am your father and that gives me the right!"

"Do the Native Americans not say that you should 'walk a mile in another man's moccasins'?"

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"I thought that it was a fairly well known phrase? In any case, I shouldn't have to explain my meaning to you."

Rising to his feet, Sesshoumaru stretched and headed over to the door. Uncertainly, Inutaisho followed his son and watched with wide eyes as the younger man opened the door and nodded.

"Thank you for yet another delightful visit, father," Sesshoumaru said sarcastically. "If ever you feel you need to vent some steam and have no other target, please do feel free to come back and see me again. Maybe I will have more pearls of wisdom for you."

Inutaisho stared in surprise as the door was closed in his face and locked with a loud click. On the other side of the door, Sesshoumaru waited until he heard footsteps fade away before walking back into the living room and sitting down heavily on the sofa. Rin had yet to re-emerge from the bedroom but he supposed it was a good thing that she hadn't overheard that conversation. She wasn't on good terms with his family as it was and he suspected that she would most likely declare war on them after hearing what his father had just said. Leaning forward, he reached into the drawer of a nearby table and withdrew a packet of cigarettes. With a sigh, he leaned back against the cushions and exhaled a large cloud of blue smoke into the air above him as he closed his eyes. Amber eyes snapped open moments later when the cigarette was suddenly taken from his lips and he found himself looking at a none too pleased Rin who held the cigarette between her fingers and glared at him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded, waving the hand that held the cigarette and ignoring the ash that fell to the floor with her movements. "You said you'd given up."

"I don't really care anymore," Sesshoumaru said with a shrug as he eyed the woman before him.

From what he could gather, Rin had just emerged from the bath since she had only a rather short towel wrapped around her slim body. How she knew he was smoking, he doubted he would ever know but decided that it was unimportant. She looked positively ravishing as she looked down at him and he had to admit that the view he had from his angle was quite nice. A yelp escaped Rin's lips moments later as she found herself tumbling down onto Sesshoumaru's lap. Her eyes widened as she felt his hands creeping up her sides to the top of her towel and she struggled to put some space between them to keep a grip on her towel.

"Don't think you can distract me!" she declared with a frown as she put out the cigarette and clutched the top of her towel. "You will not succeed."

"I succeed every other time, don't I?" Sesshoumaru inquired with a smirk as he finally managed to loosen her grip on the towel. "You will not escape."

Realising that this was a battle she couldn't win, Rin grinned suddenly and leapt to her feet. Promising herself that she would finish the conversation later, she tried to take a step towards the bedroom but found herself suddenly divested of her only covering. Squealing in surprise, she crossed her arms under her ample bosom and glared at the tall man who still sat on the sofa with a devilish grin on his face.

"My, my," Sesshoumaru murmured as he rose to his feet and approached her. "Shouldn't you be worried about having no clothes on rather than glaring at me?"

"Why should I be worried?" Rin retorted, flipping her hair over her shoulder and grinning in a way that made him hesitate his advance briefly. "There's nothing you haven't seen before."

"And here I was thinking that you wanted a conversation."

Rin giggled. "You're the pervert that took away my towel. You were the one who took away our chance at conversation."

"We're conversing now, aren't we?"

"Not about what we need to talk about."

"That can come later, can't it?" Sesshoumaru asked, nuzzling her neck gently when he came to a stop in front of her.

"Of course it can," Rin replied with a soft sigh as she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.

After hauling her against him and ravishing her lips, Sesshoumaru swept her off her feet and sat down heavily on the sofa. Rin smiled to herself as she felt his hands travel up her sides before his arms wrapped around her and she was lost in bliss. After a moment, she sat back on his knees and smiled at him before looking around the room.

"I didn't know you were an exhibitionist," she teased as she pressed a kiss against his lips.

"If anyone here is an exhibitionist, it's most definitely you," Sesshoumaru retaliated as he returned her kiss with more passion.

"That's because you won't let me go back to the bedroom."

"A sofa is as good as a bed, is it not?"

"There's more room on a bed to lie down."

"Who says you'll be lying down?"

Rin laughed. "The lights are still on and I've not drawn the curtains yet. Someone might see."

"I doubt there are many people who enjoy voyeurism so much that they would try to climb to the seventh floor of this building."

"There might be some very determined perverts around."

"Then we'll give them a show to remember."

Rin could say no more as her lips were claimed in a passionate kiss. She had not been pleased with Sesshoumaru's actions this evening, but she might be persuaded to forgive him if he carried on the way he was going. Tomorrow was another day and maybe then, she would get some answers from him about what he was doing.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter X**

The topic of Sesshoumaru's behaviour never did come up for conversation again after that night and Rin was almost certain that her lover was going to great lengths to make sure that it was not discussed in any greater detail. Rin sighed as she put away the last of the clean glasses behind the bar before looking around at the few people who stood or sat in the small groups that were scattered about the room. It was still quite early in the evening so not many people were around just yet, but she knew that it would get busy as the evening progressed. The hours passed slowly and Rin conversed happily with some of the regulars as she wandered through the room, collecting empty glasses from abandoned tables. It was very close to closing time when she noticed a silver haired man sitting in a dark corner of the room with his back to her. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him picked up the beer bottle on the table in front of him and take a swig of the liquid before setting it down again. Taking a deep, calming breath, Rin stalked across the room and stopped beside the table as she reached out to pull the bottle from the man's hands just as he was about to drink from it again.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Rin demanded, not bothering to hide her anger. "No smoking or drinking. That was the agreement!"

The man turned in his seat, his eyes wide with surprise at the petite woman's sudden appearance at his side and stared at her before they both recognised each other. Rin's eyes widened as she stared into the amber orbs that looked back at her, reflecting her surprise and confusion, but she realised that she wasn't looking at Sesshoumaru. She was looking at Inuyasha. Exhaling heavily, she put the bottle back down on the table and then grinned at the confused man deviously.

"Well, well," Rin drawled, her grin still in place as she slid into the seat opposite him. "Inuyasha, the pride and joy of the Taisho family, is sitting in my dingy little bar. Isn't this a surprise? You honour me with your presence."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you," Inuyasha grunted, crossing his arms and glaring at her.

"I don't care. The irony of the situation calls out to my sarcastic nature."

"There's nothing ironic about this situation!"

"Really?" Rin asked, raising an eyebrow as she rose to her feet. "I beg to differ. This could land you in trouble if your father found out about this."

"He won't find out."

"And why is that?"

"Because you're not going to tell him," Inuyasha declared in a determined voice.

"You're in no position to tell me what I can and can't do."

"Oh, but I am. You see, it doesn't take much for someone to lose a job. All the boss needs to hear are a few well chosen words from the right person and someone's out of a job."

"You're threatening me?!" Rin hissed with barely contained anger as she glared at the man in front of her.

"I do need to ensure your silence on this matter, Rin," Inuyasha said quietly, leaning towards her with a menacing grin. "It's just as you said, my father would not approve of my being here."

"Then why are you here?"

"That is none of your business," he muttered, glancing towards the door and then quickly looking away as he pulled out his phone and dialled a number. "Now go away and remember what I said."

Rin stalked away from the table with a frown and returned to her usual position behind the bar. Osamu and Saburou wisely chose not to comment on her behaviour as she served them and simply returned to their conversation while Rin observed her lover's sibling as he sat in his seat. She had the perfect vantage point. He had his back to her so he couldn't see her observing his actions and he didn't know that she was watching when a tall dark haired woman stepped into the bar and made her way towards him. Rin's eyes widened as she watched them embrace warmly as though they were lovers and briefly thought it was Kagome since this woman looked a lot like her, but soon realised that she was mistaken. This woman was different and it definitely wasn't Kagome. As she watched them talk and interact, Rin soon gathered that they were indeed lovers and the sight of it sickened her so much that she forced herself to look away.

A short while later, Sesshoumaru arrived at the bar and stood in the doorway until he caught her attention before stepping back outside. Taking a deep breath, Rin headed towards the door at the end of her shift and tried very hard to keep her gaze from drifting towards Inuyasha's table, but soon discovered that he had moved and was leaning against the wall beside the door. She gulped at the menacing look on his face as she approached.

"Remember what I said, Rin," he muttered as he leaned towards her with a smug grin. "I will make life very unpleasant if you utter one word of this to anyone."

Anger coursed through her and she pushed him away roughly as she stepped out the door and headed towards the car where Sesshoumaru waited patiently for her. She had been considering speaking to Sesshoumaru about what she had seen, but with Inuyasha's words ringing in her head, she decided that it probably wouldn't be a good idea. Sesshoumaru was rather protective of her despite the fact that she was perfectly capable of looking after herself, but she was worried that he might do something drastic if he discovered that his own brother had threatened her. Sighing, she slipped into the car and fixed a smile to her face as she turned to greet her lover. She didn't want to deceive Sesshoumaru, but she didn't see an alternative.

Life for Rin became very uneasy after she discovered Inuyasha's sordid secret. Sesshoumaru's parents made frequent visits to the apartment much to his disgust and much to Rin's irritation, Inuyasha always came with him and where Inuyasha went, Kagome was not far behind. Inuyasha would watch Rin intently throughout their visit as though he was daring her to say something and she could do nothing but glare at him in response. It was a depressing situation. Inuyasha was obviously cheating on Kagome with that woman she had seen at the bar, but she couldn't tell the poor woman about it because she would lose her job if she said a word. Memories of Inuyasha telling her how unpleasant he could make her life were also off-putting. Had her life not been unpleasant enough without Inuyasha making it worse? Her only solace was Sesshoumaru. He had become her pillar of strength and her protection, but she was at a loss now that there was truly a chance to protect her and she was too scared to tell him the story for fear of his reaction.

Eventually, Rin learned to ignore Inuyasha's intense gaze and his mocking words, but she still felt very uneasy in his presence. A part of her was always wondering if he would do something awful to her just because he felt like it regardless of whether she had said anything. Everything came to a head one day when the time of year came around that Rin would visit her family on the anniversary of their death. She had been with Sesshoumaru for half a year at this point and was very happy with her life despite Inuyasha's threats hanging over her head. Sesshoumaru had offered to accompany her to the cemetery and after a brief consideration, she had agreed.

Sesshoumaru followed Rin down the path that wound amongst the tombstones in the neat cemetery. He looked around and took in all the different names and shapes of the tombstones. It was quite amazing really and also quite sad. There were tall angels carved of shining black and white marble, small headstones with elegant lettering engraved on their smooth surfaces and a couple of ancient looking crypts standing near the Church building that looked quite out of place and slightly foreboding in comparison to everything that surrounded them. He blinked in surprise when Rin came to an abrupt halt in front of him and looked over her shoulder. In front of her stood four tombstones in perfect condition with a familiar surname etched over them all and flowers sitting before each one.

He glanced at Rin and saw her hands clench at her sides as she looked at the four stones. Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru slipped an arm around her waist as he wondered what kind of comfort he was supposed to give in such a situation before he realised that there were no tears falling from her eyes and there was no sadness on her face, just a look of pure anger that he had never seen before. The alien expression on her usually cheerful face took him by surprise and Sesshoumaru stared at her in amazement as she closed her eyes as though she was trying to calm herself before they opened against and glared venomously at the stones before them. After a moment, he realised that she wasn't looking at the stones themselves, her gaze was trained on the four bouquets of flowers that were neatly placed at the base of each one. Sesshoumaru never got to ask his questions as Rin dropped the bouquets she had brought with her carelessly and snatched up a note attached to one of the bouquets. He couldn't see what was written on it as she scrunched it up into a tiny ball in her equally tiny fist before turning on her heel and walking back towards the car without a word.

"Is there anywhere in particular you want to go?" Sesshoumaru asked carefully, not sure how to handle his furious lover.

"To the bar please. It appears that there is something I need to take care of," Rin requested in an irritated voice.

A short while later, Sesshoumaru was following Rin into the bar as she stalked around the bar and into the office without a glance at anyone she knew. Deciding to let her deal with the situation, he sat in his usual place at the bar and waited patiently. Rin glared at the manager who cowered behind his desk. Eventually, she sighed and her shoulders drooped as though under an enormous weight before she sank down into the nearest chair and buried her face in her hands.

"Is this true?" she asked quietly, extending her hand without looking up and holding out the ball of paper in her hand to the manager.

The man carefully took the paper and read it before nodding slowly. "It is true. You are no longer an employee here."

"Why was I not informed? Why was this decision made?"  
"I was told not to inform you, that it was already taken care of. I had to do this because he threatened to close down the bar if I didn't," the man said helplessly.

"I'm sorry about this," Rin muttered as she lifted her head to look at the man who had been so kind to her. "I should leave before I get you into more trouble."

There was silence as Rin got to her feet and made her way over to the door. Just as she opened the door, the manager called her name and she turned to look back at him questioningly. He hesitated as though he was unsure if he should voice his thoughts before he threw caution to the wind and opened his mouth to speak.

"I don't know what you did, Rin," he said seriously. "But you have made a fearsome enemy. I would advise you to proceed with caution. I may not be able to employ you, but I'd still rather not hear that something bad happened to you."

"Thank you for the advice," Rin deadpanned before walking out the door.

Sesshoumaru watched Rin walk out of the office and immediately knew that something was wrong. They left the bar in silence and it wasn't until they were some distance away from the bar that Sesshoumaru decided that it was time to find out what was going on. Rin's eyes widened as the car came to a stop and turned to look at Sesshoumaru questioningly. She jumped slightly as he turned to look at her, leaning towards her and placing an arm along the back of her seat.

"I think, Rin," he said slowly. "That you should tell me what is going on. I do not like the idea of knowing you are upset but not knowing why."

"Alright," Rin said with a soft sigh as she leaned her head back against his arm and closed her eyes. "You'll find out soon enough and it's better you find out now than later."

There was something about the way she spoke that sent a shiver down Sesshoumaru's spine. His eyes narrowed slightly as he quickly realised that he was not going to like what she was about to tell him, but he willed himself to remain calm as he waited for her to tell her story. After a silence that seemed to stretch on for hours, Rin sighed and looked at him seriously.

"Your father has always made a big issue of the fact that you used to visit the bar and drink," she started and then stopped, biting her lip as if she was reluctant to continue. "While you kept to your side of the bargain and stayed away from the bar and alcohol, Inuyasha didn't."

"Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru repeated in surprise.

"If it were just that he was drinking and completely going against your father's wishes, it probably wouldn't be so bad," Rin continued, ignoring Sesshoumaru's question. "But it's worse. So much worse."

"Let me get this straight. Inuyasha has taken up my old habits?"

"Yes, but that's not the only thing he's taken up."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure why this was distressing Rin so much. "What else has he taken up that could be worse than that?"

"Adultery."

Rin's quiet response completely blew Sesshoumaru away and he could only stare at her in shocked silence. Being the son of a man as wealthy as Inutaisho did mean that one had to forgo imbibing alcohol and partaking in activities that would tarnish the family's reputation that Inutaisho had worked so hard to build. Inuyasha was now the favoured son and if Rin spoke the truth, he could destroy everything their father had worked so hard to build over the course of his lifetime. Sesshoumaru was by no means close to his father and didn't particularly like the man, but he didn't think it was right for him to lose everything just because his son was acting irresponsibly. Adultery, though, was a different matter entirely. Sesshoumaru glanced at the woman beside him and suddenly wondered how Rin knew so much about his brother's activities when they clearly disliked each other.

"How do you know this?" Sesshoumaru asked with a frown.

"He came into the bar a while ago, I forget how long ago now, but he met a woman. I thought it was Kagome, but it wasn't. She was different even though they looked similar."

"Foolish brother. Why didn't you tell me this?"

"He told me not to say anything. He threatened to make my boss fire me and he said he would make life unpleasant if I said anything. He didn't wait to see if I would say anything though. The boss said that he was threatened with the bar's closure if he didn't fire me. So I'm now unemployed," Rin said with a tearful smile.

It took a moment for Sesshoumaru to regain his composure and when he did, he reached across the space between them and wrapped Rin in a fierce embrace. She sagged against him, her small hands fisting in his shirt as she tried to fight the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. After a moment, Sesshoumaru sat back and wiped away her tears, kissing her lips gently before giving her a very brief and vague smile.

"You will get your job back," he promised, kissing her lips again. "Inuyasha will get what he deserves and everything will go back to normal."

"Back to normal?" Rin asked curiously.

"Yes. Everything will be fine."

Sesshoumaru had struggled to contain his rage when he had discovered what his brother had done to Rin. He had taken them home immediately after she had told him what had happened and had spent the afternoon with her, trying his hardest to reassure her that everything would be alright, but knowing that it was not going to work. Inuyasha had truly chosen the worst day to carry out his threat and part of Sesshoumaru suspected that he had chosen that day on purpose. Rin had eventually fallen asleep in his arms, apparently exhausted from the stress of the day and while she slept, Sesshoumaru had contemplated what to do next.

He didn't want to cause Rin any extra stress but could see no way around that particular obstacle. His conflicting emotions made it difficult to decide what to do. Part of him wanted to expose Inuyasha's habits and see him suffer for the pain he had caused Rin, but another part of him knew that he couldn't do that to his father. They weren't close, but he still couldn't bring himself to do something so callous. Rin shifted slightly and clutched his shirt tightly as she frowned and mumbled something unintelligible. Sesshoumaru smiled to himself as he looked down at her and brushed her hair away from her face gently. It never ceased to amaze him how dear this petite but feisty woman was to him. She had unknowingly brought out a soft side to him that he had long since buried when she had stepped into his life. Somehow, she had wormed her way into his heart to such an extent that his own happiness depended on hers and now that he knew the cause of her unhappiness, he was going to make the culprit pay in one way or another.

When Rin woke up a few hours later, she found herself lying on the sofa, her head cushioned on the armrest and her body covered by what was obviously Sesshoumaru's long black coat. Smiling to herself, she burrowed deeper under the coat and inhaled his scent deeply as she closed her eyes and slowly drifted back to sleep. She was on the verge of sleep when she heard a voice coming from the kitchen. It was Sesshoumaru's voice – that deep voice that sent shivers down her spine, she would recognise it anywhere. Rin guessed that he was on the phone since there were no replies to his words, but when she heard her name, her eyes flew open and she wondered what he was talking about. She didn't have to wait long as Sesshoumaru stepped into the living room a short while later and smiled vaguely at her as he sat beside her.

"Who were you talking to?" Rin asked curiously.

"Kagome," Sesshoumaru replied as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I don't think I'm going to tell my father about Inuyasha, but Kagome needs to know."

"Is she alright?"

"She was furious, but she said she'd be discreet about the situation. She understands that the family's reputation is on the line."

"Why do you care about the reputation?"

"My father worked hard to get where he is now, I may not like him, but I don't think it's fair to undo all the work he did just because of my stupid brother."

Rin nodded understandingly. "What do you think Kagome will do?"

"I don't know," Sesshoumaru admitted thoughtfully. "I don't have any doubt, though, that Inuyasha is going to regret having toyed with her. She can be quite terrifying when angered."

"I almost feel sorry for him," Rin stated, eyes wide with surprise and slightly fearful.

Sesshoumaru frowned. "Don't feel sorry for him. He deserves everything he gets. To be honest, telling Kagome about it is probably worse than telling my father. Her rage is much more terrifying and she will see to it that he is suitably punished which I don't think my father would."

It was just as Sesshoumaru had said. In the days after Kagome discovering Inuyasha's infidelity, she had been furious and had taken the matter of his punishment into her own hands. She had agreed that it would be unfair for Inutaisho's hard earned reputation in the business world to be destroyed because of his son and had promised not to tell the older man of the incident. Rin had been surprised to open the door one day to find Kagome standing on the doorstep and had been even more surprised when the woman had stepped into the apartment without a word and wrapped her arms around Rin. When Rin felt tears falling on her shoulder, she was suddenly glad that Sesshoumaru was at work and not in the apartment as she supposed that Kagome probably wouldn't want to show this weakness to anyone.

"I'm so sorry," Kagome said sadly as she clutched a mug of coffee in her hands as they sat on the sofa. "I'm so sorry for what Inuyasha did. That was so unkind."

"Don't worry too much about it," Rin said softly. "I've been through much worse than that. Are you alright?"

"I was so angry when Sesshoumaru told me," Kagome admitted with a slight smile. "But I think the reality of the situation is only just beginning to dawn on me."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't stay married to him knowing that he's done this, but I don't know how to end this marriage without causing a scandal."

"Is Inuyasha even a little bit sorry for what he did?" Rin asked.

"He says he is, but I don't know if he's just saying that to placate me or if he means it. I don't really know if anything he told me was true."

"Could you trust Izayoi with something like this?"

"No. Inuyasha is her son and she thinks the world of him. She won't believe that he has done any wrong so it would be pointless talking to her."

"I don't know what to suggest," Rin said quietly. "I wish I could help, but I'm not sure how."

"It's alright," Kagome replied with a sad smile. "I'll just have to bear with it for the moment. Something will come up eventually."

Rin watched as Kagome left the apartment and felt very sorry for the woman. She didn't know her very well, but she had always had a favourable impression of Kagome. It was quite sad to think that the cheerful woman she had met a few times before had been reduced to what she was. There was no question that Kagome was heartbroken by the news, Rin could only hope that time would heal her wounds and that she would find a way to be happy.

**AN:** I know having Inuyasha as a bad guy is a bit of a twist in my stories, but I decided a change would be good :) I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to update, but I've been preoccupied with For The Sake of Convenience. I'm writing it's epilogue today so that will be out of the way and I can focus a bit more on this story. I more or less know where I'm going to take this now so there'll be another few chapters before I finish :) Anyhoo! Thank you for all the reviews :) Hopefully no one's gotten too bored waiting for this story's update, I'll try and make it as regular as I can now!

Thank you again!

xMxAx


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter XI**

It became a regular occurrence over the next few weeks for Sesshoumaru to return home at the end of the day and find Kagome and Rin sitting in the living room, deep in conversation. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was warming up to his sister-in-law and discovering with each visit that she was a nicer person than he had first thought. Rin was quite pleased when Sesshoumaru had mentioned this to her one day, but the smile was wiped from her face when she remembered the situation her new friend was in. There seemed to be no way to deal with the situation without upsetting someone and the person they were eager to avoid upsetting was Inutaisho. There was no telling what he would do if he discovered that his younger and clearly favourite son had followed his brother's example and ended up sitting in a bar late at night, but what would surely make everything worse was the adultery involved.

Kagome refused to discuss her plans for the future and whether or not it involved Inuyasha. Neither Sesshoumaru nor Rin pushed the subject any further for fear of upsetting her. However, Rin realised that life would change soon when Sesshoumaru informed her of his plans for the immediate future one weekend afternoon.

"Are you happy in this town, Rin?" Sesshoumaru asked, leaned back in his seat in the living room to look through to the kitchen where Rin was cooking.

"I don't mind it," Rin commented with a smile as she turned to look at her lover questioningly. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm thinking of wrapping things up with my father soon and I was wondering if you wanted to stay in the city or move back to the house we share briefly."

"You're done helping him already? It's only been a couple of months."

"I'm a fast worker," Sesshoumaru said with a grin as he looked at Rin.

"So it seems," she replied with a smile. "I'm perfectly happy here in the city, but I don't mind the idea of moving back to the other house."

Nodding, Sesshoumaru got to his feet and wandered into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter beside Rin and watched her cook over her shoulder as he thought over her words. He wasn't worried about where they lived as long as they lived together. Life before her appearance was only a dim memory as though it was a dream and not reality. Rin had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, at the bar one evening and had stayed there longer than any other woman. That was an achievement since she was required to deal with drunken men on a regular basis, but the petite woman had stunned everyone with her ability to adapt and fend for herself. Sesshoumaru smiled to himself as he remembered the first time he had spoken to her, the night she had thrown a man out of the bar. Glancing at Rin bent over the cooker and seemingly focused on what she was doing, it didn't seem possible that she could do anything like that, but appearances were deceiving. Pushing himself upright, Sesshoumaru slipped an arm around her waist and nuzzled her neck as she giggled and continued cooking.

"We'll stay here then," he murmured in her ear. "At least until we decide to go somewhere else."

"What will your father say about you no longer helping him?" Rin asked, pausing to look over her shoulder at the tall man behind her.

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "He knew from the beginning that it was only a temporary arrangement. I'd have left eventually; he was probably expecting me to wait around a couple of years before going though."

"I hope it doesn't cause too much trouble."

"It doesn't really matter if it does. He's not going to change my mind this time."

Thoughts of that conversation haunted Rin's mind for the next few days until Kagome eventually grew curious about what caused her friend to be so preoccupied. Rin had sighed and smiled slightly at her friend when she had asked, but hadn't replied immediately. She had become very close friends with Kagome, but she wondered if she really should be discussing this sort of thing with her. What if Kagome went and told Izayoi or Inutaisho? Rin didn't think she would, but what happened if they somehow heard about Sesshoumaru's plans? All hell would break lose and she had no doubt that she would be the one they would blame. Still, she wanted to discuss it with Kagome and she supposed that Inutaisho was going to find out eventually, so it didn't really matter if Kagome did tell him.

"Sesshoumaru says he's going to stop working with his father soon," Rin said with a slight frown as she gazed out the window.

"Why?"

"He says that he's helped enough and Inuyasha is more than capable to take his place."

"Do you think that's true?" Kagome asked doubtfully.

"That Inuyasha's capable enough?" Rin queried with a smile. "I don't know. Perhaps Sesshoumaru is just going to say it that way because Inuyasha is capable and whatever else he needs to know, he'll learn as he works? I really don't know, but I do know that Inutaisho isn't going to take the news well."

"What makes you think that?"

"I get the impression that he thought Sesshoumaru would stay around for a while longer than he actually intends to. I think that he probably compromised when it came to me because he thought Sesshoumaru would leave after a while since I gather that's what's happened in the past."

"Don't let the old man get to you, Rin," Kagome said reassuringly. "He's very old fashioned and far too strict, I think. Even if Sesshoumaru was like that in the past, he's not now so there's no need to worry."

"Really?" Rin asked, looking up at the ceiling with a frown. "How do I know that? How do I know that he's not going to get tired of me and then throw me out? What if he changes his mind and decides he wants to take over the company after all? I really don't think Inutaisho will tolerate my presence for much longer."

Kagome sighed. "I think you're worrying needlessly about Sesshoumaru growing tired of you."

"How can I be sure? How can I know that he's not just stringing me along just to antagonise his parents? What if he just throws me aside when he's decided he's annoyed them enough for them to leave him alone?"

With all those worries off her chest and now hanging in the air, Rin sighed heavily and stared at the ceiling to avoid her friend's bewildered stare. When she had sought Kagome's advice, she hadn't intended to show her friend all of her insecurities. In fact, she hadn't intended to show them at all. She had decided that she would appear cool, calm and collected even if that was only an act. Vocalising her emotions and thoughts was not something Rin could do easily and she had just done just what without even giving it a second thought. Eventually, her gaze was drawn back to her friend when Kagome sighed and gave her a weak smile.

"I don't think you really need to worry about any of that, Rin," Kagome said gently. "I know it's easier said than done, but please, don't worry about it too much. I suppose everything Inutaisho and Inuyasha have said about him probably haven't given you a great impression, but he's not like that anymore."

"Kagome, you're a member of his family even if you're not related by blood," Rin murmured, returning her gaze to the ceiling and sighing heavily. "You're going to try and make him out to be a great guy even if he was the devil incarnate, not that I'm saying he is, but you get my point."

"I suppose you're right, but I'm being serious. Inuyasha's a brat. A spoilt brat who throws a tantrum when he doesn't get what he wants, but Sesshoumaru's different. He's more mature than his brother and he doesn't do things without good reason."

"Of course he's more mature. He's older than Inuyasha."

"Age doesn't guarantee maturity," Kagome said with a shrug.

Rin sighed again. "I suppose you're right."

"You're over thinking things, Rin. Have you spoken to Sesshoumaru about any of this?"

"Of course not," Rin muttered, rubbing her eyes and wishing that she had thought about her words before speaking. "How am I supposed to just bring this up? There's no reason for me to feel this way and I don't understand why I do feel like this!"

Kagome's eyes widened as Rin suddenly leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. A muffled sound that sounded suspiciously like a sob made her frown as she leaned towards the younger woman. Patting Rin on the shoulder, Kagome wrapped an arm around her shoulders, trying and failing to get her to sit up.

"Look," Kagome said eventually. "How long have you been with Sesshoumaru?"

"About six months," Rin mumbled, still hiding her face in her hands.

"Then you don't need to worry so much. You're only worrying about this because of what the family said, am I right? You didn't even consider his past before you met them, right?"

"I suppose that's true," came the muffled reply.

"In any case, this is the longest relationship Sesshoumaru's been in since I've known him. He's in it for the long run, Rin. If he wasn't, it would have ended long ago."

"Really?" Rin asked hopefully, looking at Kagome with tearful eyes.

"Of course! He wouldn't have fought with his father so much to keep you in his life if you weren't important to him. Don't doubt his feelings. He may not show them very often, but they're there and he is a very passionate man when it comes to something he cares about. I promise he cares about you, Rin," Kagome said with a grin.

"I'm sorry for suddenly crying."

"Don't worry about it. You've been such a comfort to me, I'm glad I could return the favour. I won't tell Sesshoumaru about this conversation by the way. It's between you and me."

"Thank you," Rin said gratefully with a tearful smile.

Kagome left after she was certain that Rin wasn't going to break down into tears again and Rin paced the apartment, wondering why she had allowed her emotions to let loose like that. When she could come up with no answer to her questions, she turned her attention to preparing dinner. Deciding to go all out and prepare the best meal she could, Rin spent a long time in the kitchen cooking and it took her by surprise when she heard the front door open. Glancing through the kitchen doorway, Rin saw Sesshoumaru shrugging off his jacket and looking around with a slightly baffled look. Making sure that all the appliances were turned off, she hurried into the living room and smiled brilliantly at him when he turned to look at her. Without waiting for his usual greeting, Rin reached up and wrapped her arms tightly around Sesshoumaru's shoulders as she kissed his lips gently. Slightly stunned by the greeting, Sesshoumaru hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close for a moment or two before his curiosity got the better of him.

"This is a more exuberant greeting than usual," Sesshoumaru murmured in her ear. "What's the reason for that?"

"No reason," Rin replied with a smile as she leaned away to look up at him. "Am I wrong for wanting to express my love for you?"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her words before smiling slightly. "No. You should do this more often, I like this kind of greeting."

"I'm glad."

Sighing to herself, Rin pressed herself closer and rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. As strong arms wrapped around her and held her close, she couldn't help but wonder why she'd had any doubts about how he felt about her. Kagome was right, there was no need to worry.

"Was Kagome here today?" Sesshoumaru asked, leaning back to look at her eventually.

"She was, why do you ask?" Rin queried, frowning slightly.

He shrugged and sat down on the sofa, pulling her down beside him. "She's usually here when I get home. Are things looking any better for her and Inuyasha?"

"Probably not. She still won't say anything about it."

"Oh well. His loss in the end," Sesshoumaru muttered before looking at her thoughtfully. "When will dinner be done?"

"I've already finished it."

"Oh, I was hoping for a shower before eating."

"You can still have one," Rin said as she got to her feet and started towards the kitchen. "I can just keep everything warm until you get back."

"How long will it stay warm?"

"As long I keep it in the oven," she replied, looking at him in confusion. "Are you planning an exceptionally long shower?"

"I might be," Sesshoumaru stated, rising to his feet and walking over to her.

"You'd better go then. The food will dry out if I leave it in the oven for too long."

Nodding, Sesshoumaru took her hand in his and tugged her along down the corridor towards the bedroom they shared. Rin frowned as she followed and was about to pull her hand free when she found herself pinned against the bathroom door and Sesshoumaru's hands against the door on either side of her head, effectively trapping her in place. Her frown changed to a look of surprise as she looked up at him and saw a playful smile tugging his lips before it vanished.

"Why are you so surprised?" Sesshoumaru asked huskily, leaning down to trail kisses across her shoulder. "You didn't really think I was going to take an exceptionally long shower alone, did you?"

Rin gasped as he nipped her neck gently. "I-I didn't really give it much thought," she admitted, suppressing a shower as he continued his ministrations.

Without realising what she was doing, Rin's hands ran down his broad chest, deftly undoing the buttons of his shirt as they moved. She sighed in delight when her hands ran over his smooth skin as she pushed the shirt off and smiled as she let her gaze wander over him. Growling quietly, Sesshoumaru returned the favour and had her standing in nothing but her underwear moments later as he gave her a devilish grin that sent shivers down Rin's spine. Before she could utter a word, she had been swept off her feet and her back was pressed against the door, her legs instinctively wrapping around his taut waist as he turned his full attention to the voluptuous breasts that he had come to love. Gasping at the sensations he was evoking within her, Rin arched towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and throwing her head back as she lost herself in ecstasy.

"So easily pleased," Sesshoumaru murmured against her breast before moving towards the shower. "Don't tell me you're tired already?"

"Definitely not," Rin replied with a grin as she wriggled her hips experimentally and was rewarded with a soft groan from the man who held her.

Only moments later, both of them stood beneath the hot jets of water but neither paused their actions. Rin wriggled her hips every so often, delighted by the groans she heard and able to feel exactly how much it affected the stoic man. Reluctantly, Sesshoumaru set Rin on her feet and reached for the soap that sat nearby. Lathering his hands, he ran them over her body, caressing her skin gently and watching the suds run down her body as she stood beneath the water. Rin shuddered and leaned against him as his hands began to roam her body before following the trail of suds down her body.

"I hope you didn't leave anything cooking," Sesshoumaru said quietly as he turned her around to look into her eyes.

Rin grinned and shook her head as she reached up to pull him down towards her. Moments later, their bodies were brought together and their arms wrapped around each other as they lost themselves in the torrent of emotions that washed over them. Just before she was robbed of coherent thought, Rin decided that she was very wrong to have doubted Sesshoumaru's reasons for being with her. It had been foolish to doubt him and she knew that she wouldn't doubt him ever again.

**AN: ** I apologise for this chapter being so short, but I've been ill so my writing hasn't really been up to scratch. Anyway, I thought I'd put this up anyway and compensate for its length by writing a longer one next time. Hopefully it wasn't too disappointing and I apologise again. Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story. I promise the next chapter will be better!

xMxAx


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter XII**

The next day was cold and a shiver ran down Rin's spine as she felt cool air wash over her exposed shoulders. Blindly, she reached out and searched for the covers as she curled up in an attempt to keep herself warm. Her eyes cracked open and squinted against the light pouring in through the windows when her hand was captured and she was pulled into an embrace. When her eyes had finally adjusted to the light, Rin sighed and attempted to roll onto her back. She smiled to herself when the arm wrapped around her waist prevented her from moving too far. Eventually, she pushed herself upright and looked out the large windows nearby, silently watching the clouds drift by lazily before she turned and looked at the man lying beside her, his arm still wrapped firmly around her waist. Sesshoumaru lay on his back, eyes still shut and his chest rising and falling gently as he slept peacefully. It amused Rin to think that he was possessive even in his sleep as she felt his arm tighten around her waist slightly.

Sighing to herself, Rin managed to extricate herself from Sesshoumaru's tight grip and pull on the shirt he had discarded the night before as she made her way towards the door. She was just doing up a couple of the buttons as she stepped into the kitchen and began making coffee when she heard a noise behind her. Turning around, she gasped in surprise as she found Sesshoumaru standing behind her, looking very much like he wasn't quite awake yet. Smiling to herself, she handed him the cup of coffee she had just made before making another. He watched her silently as he drank the dark liquid and smiled to himself as he realised that she wore only his shirt. There was something about the sight of her in just that that made him feel quite happy. He was perfectly happy to simply sit and watch her bustle about clad in just that and he knew that he wouldn't tire of the sight. What pleased him the most was that this sight was exclusively his to view. No one else would be seeing what he saw and that pleased him immensely.

"I expected you to sleep a bit longer," Rin murmured as she looked up at the tall man beside her. "You looked so peaceful."

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "There is little reason to stay in bed when the reason I was peaceful is no longer present."

"You're that dependent on me to be peaceful? What did you do before I came along?"

"I drank and smoked. You haven't forgotten have you?"

"How could I forget?" Rin asked with a grimace. "It's one of the reasons you and your family don't see eye to eye."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Sesshoumaru assured her with a smirk before he became serious again. "Speaking of the family, they have organised a formal dinner this evening."

"This evening? Isn't that a bit short notice?"

"It is, but because of who they are, things like that don't matter much, I suppose. Regardless of that though, I'm required to attend it and therefore you're coming with me."

Rin raised an eyebrow as she sipped her coffee. "Why would I be going with you? We both know your parents can't stand me."

"I wouldn't go that far," Sesshoumaru corrected her gently, brushing back her hair. "I want you to come with me because I don't want you to spend the evening alone."

"Spending an evening alone would hardly be the worst thing I've ever faced."

"Obviously not, but I still want you with me."

"You're absolutely certain this is a good idea? What will your parents say?"

"I don't particularly care what they have to say about the matter. If they don't like the fact that I brought you with me, we'll leave and spend the evening together elsewhere."

"You're just looking for an excuse to rile up your father, aren't you?" Rin asked with a giggle.

"Perhaps," Sesshoumaru replied with a vague smile. "You shall just have to wait until tonight to find out my plan."

After a day spent trying to decide what was best to wear for the evening, Rin eventually chose her outfit. Despite it taking so long to choose her dress, the day had been thoroughly enjoyable. However, when she reflected on the day's events, Rin decided that she would not seek Sesshoumaru's opinion on her clothing unless she was desperate. It wasn't that he had bad taste, in fact that was as far from the truth as one could get since he had very good taste, but the problem Rin had found was that he was very particular about what she wore. In the end, the afternoon had turned into a long fashion show as she tried on outfit after outfit only to have him disagree with her choice. The whole situation would have been very irritating if he had not made it up to her.

Every time he had disagreed with her choice, he had pulled her towards him and slowly divested her of the offending item of clothing until she stood in only her underwear. Rin caught on to his game as soon as he had started to leave trails of kisses in the wake of his hands and she grinned each time she had been divested of her clothing before stepping just out of his reach and searching for yet another outfit. Needless to say, her teasing had gotten him hot and bothered, although he'd never admit it. By the time they came to a mutual agreement on her clothing for the evening, they were both eager to end their game. Now, as Rin carefully pinned her hair in place, she smiled to herself as she thought over the rather eventful afternoon she had spent with her lover. It made her tingle all over just thinking about it and she wasn't ashamed to admit that she was eager to have a repeat of the afternoon's activities.

"Are you ready?" Sesshoumaru asked, stepping into the room as he pulled on his suit jacket and straightened his tie.

"Almost," Rin murmured in response as she pinned the last few stray strands of hair back neatly and rose to her feet, twirling on the spot and grinning devilishly at Sesshoumaru. "Don't you think we made a good choice?"

"A very good choice," he agreed huskily, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck. "It's a shame we have to go out."

"Is that so?" she queried, a smile tugging her lips. "Why would that be?"

"So that I can rid you of this dress and ravish you again."

"Again? I doubt I'd be able to walk if that happened."

"That is not necessarily a bad thing," Sesshoumaru murmured, his lips brushing against hers teasingly.

Rin kissed his lips gently and stepped away with a smile. "You're insatiable and as much as I'd like to see how that idea pans out, I think we should go. Your father will be livid if you're late."

Sighing dejectedly, Sesshoumaru stepped back and opened the bedroom door for her as they made their way into the living room. Wrapping an arm tightly around Rin's waist, he guided her down to the car and soon they were making their way to his parents' home. An anxious look crossed Rin's faced briefly as she looked at the huge building before it disappeared when Sesshoumaru took her hand in his. Inside, Izayoi and Inutaisho stood beside the door, greeting people as they entered. Izayoi's smile faltered when she saw Rin beside Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho froze in place, a frown creasing his brow as he watched the pair come towards him.

"Good evening, father," Sesshoumaru greeted seriously before nodding a greeting at Izayoi who looked fearfully at her husband.

"Good evening, Sesshoumaru," Inutaisho returned the greeting before pulling the pair aside into a room nearby and shutting the door firmly behind him. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at the pair who stood before him. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm not sure I understand your meaning," Sesshoumaru commented casually, tightening the arm around Rin's waist as she moved slightly.

"Do not pretend not to understand," the older man muttered in a warning tone. "I want to know what why this little tramp is with you. How dare you bring her with you to such a prestigious event! You will tarnish our family's name!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I suggest you watch your words, father. You may be the head of this family, but I will not tolerate such language when talking about Rin. I'd advise you learn that she goes where I go and vice versa."

"I will not have such a person in my home!"

"I see," Sesshoumaru shrugged and looked down at Rin. "It seems that we will be leaving, is there anywhere you want to go?"

"You are not leaving!" Inutaisho all but bellowed at the pair. "She can leave. I couldn't care less if I ever see her again, but you are staying here where you belong. As the company's successor you are one of the guests of honour tonight!"

Sesshoumaru glared at his father and Rin caught her breath at the intense look in her lover's eyes. Even Inutaisho backed up a step towards the door, guessing that he had said the wrong thing. Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru pushed Rin gently down into one of the chairs nearby and then turned to his father, arms crossed and a scowl on his normally expressionless face.

"I don't particularly care what you think of me, father," Sesshoumaru started, his voice dangerously low. "But I have warned you time and again about your language when referring to Rin. Putting that matter aside though, I am not your successor. Inuyasha is. I don't want any of your money, I don't really want anything to do with you if I'm totally honest."

"How dare you speak to me in such a manner?" Inutaisho demanded indignantly. "I am your father! You will respect me!"

"I do not respect you," Sesshoumaru deadpanned. "I will speak to you any way I please because I'm an adult the same as you. You cannot control my life any longer."

"You are the rightful successor of the company! Your return recently has proved that you are more capable than your brother will ever be!"

"That may be so, but you seem to have forgotten the terms of our agreement."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I told you that I will not step in to take your place when you retire. You have been trying to change my mind, but it has not worked. I will not change my mind. If I accepted your offer, I would have to end the relationship with Rin and that is something I'm not willing to do. I'm not even willing to consider it."

Not waiting to hear his father's words, Sesshoumaru pulled Rin to her feet and stalked out of the room and out of the house. The silence in the car was heavy and awkward and for the first time, Rin found herself at a loss for words. It was obvious to anyone that Sesshoumaru was definitely not happy and one could even go so far as to say he was angry. She had never seen him angry and it was not a pleasant experience. She bit her tongue and remained silent until they returned the apartment, but just as she was about to head towards the bedroom to change her clothes, a large hand caught hers and pulled her into a tight embrace. Air rushed out of her lungs and she managed a gasp that seemed to bring Sesshoumaru to his senses as he loosened his grip slightly. While Rin tried to catch her breath, Sesshoumaru guided them into the bedroom and sank down onto the edge of the bed, his arms still wrapped around her waist as he laid his head against her bosom. Unsure of what to do, Rin wrapped her arms around his shoulders and waited for him to speak.

"I'm sorry, Rin," Sesshoumaru murmured, his arms tightening slightly.

"What for?" she asked quietly.

"I had not intended to get so angry with my father."

"It's alright."

"It's not alright," he replied, looking up into her face seriously. "Why must I choose between my family and the woman I love? Life isn't fair."

"No one ever said it would be," Rin said with a wry smile.

Shaking his head slightly, Sesshoumaru leaned back and pulled Rin down beside him as he stared up at the ceiling for a short while. While he was lost in his thoughts, Rin curled up against his side, her head against his chest as she listened to his steady heartbeat. Eventually, he looked down at her and smiled to himself.

"I stand by my decision," Sesshoumaru whispered huskily in her ear as he rolled onto his side. "I'd choose you every time."

Rin was given no chance to reply as he pulled her close and leaned down to take her lips. She sighed to herself as she felt a familiar wave of sensation wash over her as she pressed herself against him. The kiss was gentle and seemed to last forever, but she was drawn from her daze when she felt his large hands roaming her body. A gasp left her lips as one of those hands cupped her breast gently and before she knew it, the other hand was slowly creeping up her leg beneath her dress. Smirking, Rin attacked the buttons on his shirt as he continued to ravish her lips while his hands explored her petite body. When his shirt hung open, Rin eagerly ran her hands over his smooth, muscled chest before deftly unfastening his belt. A growl of approval encouraged her as his lips moved down to her neck. Eventually, she ceased her counterattack methods and surrendered herself to him when she found herself unable to concentrate on what she was doing. The last thought to flit across her mind before she was lost in a sea of desire and sensation was if she would be able to walk the next day. Turning the idea over in her mind, she had to agree with Sesshoumaru. It probably wouldn't be a bad thing if she couldn't.

Sesshoumaru groaned quietly and reached out across the bed for Rin as he tried desperately to convince himself that the light flooding the bedroom had nothing to do with daylight and everything to do with the fact that they had fallen asleep the night before without turning off the lights. His searching hand paused and a smirk curved his lips as he thought over the events of the night before. He couldn't remember Rin being so responsive before and wondered if it was merely his imagination. Her flushed face as she had surrendered herself to his ministrations was imprinted in his mind and he was sure that he would never forget the sound of her calling out his name in ecstasy or the way her toes had curled into his calves and her hands had frantically pulled him closer as she reached the peak of her desire. Last night had been memorable and he was sure that he wasn't going to forget it any time soon.

As his mind called up an image of Rin's face from the night before, his hand resumed searching the bed for her petite body. Memories of the night before had made him eager to hold her in his arms again and even more eager to hear her voice calling his name again. He wanted to feel her arms around him, holding on tightly as her breath came in erratic pants and her eyes shut as wave after wave of pleasure rolled over her. Now that he thought about it, he wanted nothing more than to have her near, to have her within touching distance so that he could reach out for her at any moment and know that she would come to him without any hesitation.

After a short while of searching for Rin, Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped open when he realised that she was not in the bed. Sitting up slowly, he looked around the room and could see nothing amiss as he rose to his feet and pulled on the first item of clothing he found. The apartment was oddly silent. Rin was always quiet when he was sleeping, but even she made some noise. He sauntered through to the kitchen, fully expecting her to be making coffee as she often was, but was disappointed to find the kitchen empty. Shrugging away the growing feeling of unease that descended upon him, Sesshoumaru made his way back to the bedroom and was just about to close the door behind him when he stopped as he looked towards the hallway. Rin's coat was missing as were her shoes. It seemed strange for her to leave without telling him and he frowned as he walked over to the wardrobe that they shared. His eyes widened as he pulled open the doors and stared inside. They each had half of the wardrobe and while his side was stack neatly with piles of clothing, Rin's side was empty. Dread washed over him as he stared at the empty coat hangers and bare shelves.

He could do nothing but stare until he shook himself out of his stupor and finally noticed the small piece of paper sitting on one of the shelves. Hesitantly and with a growing sense of dread, he reached for it and held it up for a moment, afraid to look at what was written inside. Eventually, he gathered his courage and unfolded the paper. Sesshoumaru felt as though the world had stopped turning as he read the note once and then again, to make sure he hadn't been seeing things. Words professing regret over leaving and dismay that he should have to choose between her and his family stared back at him but his mind refused to accept them. He could see where her tears had landed and smudged the ink on the paper and the thought of her in tears and him being unable to offer comfort made his heart ache terribly. It was truly his worst nightmare come true. Rin had left him and had no intention of returning.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter XIII**

It was early in the morning and in the same bar in which they had met, Rin sat at the very back of the room and stared down into her cup of coffee blankly. On the chair beside her sat two small bags and a suitcase sat beside her feet while the manager of the bar sat across from her with a frown on his face. When she had left Sesshoumaru's apartment she had found herself with nowhere to go and the first place she had thought to come was the bar. She had hoped the manager would understand, but she was beginning to wonder if she had made the wrong decision in coming here. The man sat quietly in his chair, his mug of coffee untouched on the table in front of him as he frowned at her in much the same way a disaproving father would if their child had misbehaved.

"You are a bright girl, Rin," he said slowly, crossing his arms across his chest as he spoke. "But what you have done is unquestionably stupid."  
Rin flinched at the harsh words but nodded. "I know it is."  
"Then why do it? You can still go back, it's not too late. You don't need to go through with this harebrained idea of yours."  
"I can't go back. He'll take me back, I know he will, but I just can't go back."  
"Why not? Just because his parents look down their noses at him?" the manager asked with a frown.  
"That's exactly why, Hiroto!" Rin exclaimed, putting down her empty coffee cup forcefully on the table. "Ever since I moved to the city as a child, I've always dreamed of having a family. He has one and it pains me to see the distance between them. It pains me even more knowing that he's putting that distance between them because of me! He has what I can only dream about and I'm not about to let him go through the pain of not having a family around him when he needs them just because of me."  
"How'd ya know he needs 'em?" a gruff voice asked from the table nearby.  
"Osamu?" Rin asked in surprise, turning to see the old man and Saburou sitting within earshot.  
"Don't be daft, girl," Osamu muttered, ignoring her words.  
"If the boy's willing to give up his family for you, doesn't that say enough?" Saburou asked, raising an eyebrow at her.  
"You wantin' him to be with his family when he don't want to ain't gonna get you nowhere, girl."  
"They're both right, Rin," the manager, Hiroto, agreed. "You might think it's for the best, but what about him? Don't you think he's old enough to know what's best for himself?"  
Rin shrugged. "I'm not going back. He's just being stubborn and he'll see the light eventually. He'll forget me and move on. After all, he's rich and good looking, there'll be no shortage of women to keep him occupied."  
"You're dumb as a bucket of rocks," Osamu sighed, shaking his head. "Could ya live with that? Would ya be happy knowin' he's with some other girl when it coulda been you? Ya won't regret walkin' away from this?"  
"Knowing he's happy is enough."

The manager shook his head and left the group. Rin sighed, she knew this wasn't one of her best ideas, but she hated seeing Sesshoumaru torn between her and his family. He would never admit that he missed his family, but she was willing to bet that he did. She didn't want him to have to choose between them, it wasn't fair. This was the best way. If she left, his family would take him back and he would find happiness. In time he would forget her and move on with his life. He would become successful and she would simply become a memory just like every other woman who had been part of his life before her. She was sure that one day she would read in some newspaper or gossip magazine that he'd have married some famous and beautiful woman and they'd go on to have beautiful children. It would hurt to know that it could have been her, but the fact that he was happy would soften any hurt she might feel.

Pulling herself from her fantasies, she looked down at her bag and pulled open her purse. She had enough money to keep her going until she got another job and it shouldn't be too hard to find a job in another bar somewhere. The only problem she faced was deciding where to go. It had to somewhere where she could blend in and not catch anyone's attention, somewhere where she could just slip beneath the radar and simply be the nobody she once was. Sighing to herself, she closed her bag and slipped it over her shoulder, looking around the bar once more as though trying to commit it and everything that had happened in the place to memory.

"I hope you're going back to him. Can you imagine how worried he must be now?" Saburou asked, watching her through narrowed eyes as she stood up and began collecting her bags.  
"Don't you be leavin' this place, girl. This is where you belong," Osamu said with a frown as she stepped away from her table.  
Rin paused at the door and smiled at them over her shoulder before giving them a little wave. "Thanks, but my time here is up. It's time to go and make a life for myself somewhere where I won't be in the way. It was nice knowing you all, maybe we'll meet again."

Without another word, Rin stepped through the door into the sunlight and let the door shut behind her as she gave the bar's occupants a final smile. Once the door was shut, her smile was replaced by a look of grim determination as she made her way down the street towards the train station. It was painful leaving the life she had here and the people she had met. She had come to care for them all and was grateful that they seemed to care about her enough to try and convince her to stay, but she couldn't stay when she was separating someone from their family.

Just as Rin rounded a corner and disappeared from sight, Sesshoumaru stopped his motorcycle just outside the bar and stalked inside, pushing the door open and looking around the dimly lit room quickly before his gaze fell on a trio of men with saddened expressions. He quickly recognised one of the men as the bar's manager and the other two as the pair who had defended Rin's honour when they discovered she was living with him. They looked up when he approached their table and shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"Sorry, boy," Osamu said sadly, shaking his head as he looked away from the tall man.  
"Where is she?" Sesshoumaru calmly despite his inner turmoil.  
"She just left," Saburou sighed. "We tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen."  
"Where did she go?"  
"She didn't say, just picked up her bags and left."

Nodding, Sesshoumaru turned on his heel and left the bar and the sorry trio of men behind as headed back to his motorcycle. As he made his way through the streets nearby, he hoped he hadn't missed her completely but with each empty street he passed, Sesshoumaru began to realise that his chances of catching her now were very slim. He knew she wouldn't go back to her old home since that was the most obvious place for him to look first and if she didn't want to be found, then she definitely wouldn't go there. Unfortunately, that didn't narrow down the places she could have gone to. It only made the list even longer. She had a limited amount of money she couldn't leave the country, but there were still plenty of places within the country for her to hide. Gritting his teeth, he resolved not to stop looking for her. He found find her and when he did, he would make sure she never left his sight again.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Several agonising months passed and there was still no sign of Rin. Sesshoumaru began to lose hope but fiercely reminded himself that there would be no one to replace her. If he didn't find her, her face would simply haunt his dreams until the day he died or until he lost his mind, whichever came first. His family had not even bothered to hide their glee when they discovered she had left, but Kagome had been very upset. She had tried to help his search as best she could but soon left him to search alone when she realised that she was merely a hindrance. Sesshoumaru pushed aside his family and ignored their pleas that he forget Rin and find another woman.

After searching the city for weeks with no luck, Sesshoumaru took his search elsewhere. He started at the town where they had lived together in her childhood home for a brief time and once again had no luck. From then on, he slowly made his way through the towns and cities nearby before gradually moving farther afield. He worried that she may have decided to go to one of the rural villages, but he did not have contacts in such places that would help him find her. Those that he knew in rural areas were loyal to his father and had no doubt heard of the family feud which meant that they would probably not lend their help to him. As it was, his contacts were limited to people he had worked with and his close friends as they sided with him rather than the rest of his family, but he struggled to find the information he needed which made the time spent in each place even longer.

A few times he had thought he had found Rin and had been disappointed each time until eventually he began to lose hope of finding her. A year went by and then after eighteen long months, Sesshoumaru reached his limit. The hope that he would find Rin dwindled with each passing day and as he pulled his motorcycle into the parking area outside a tall building, he decided that if he didn't find her this time, it would be in his best interests to give up and deal with the emotions that would follow. He wanted to continue searching until he found her, but he knew that it just wasn't practical and there was a high possibility that he could spend his life searching and never find her. The world was a big place and with his contacts limited to those he knew personally, it was very easy for someone who didn't want to be found to disappear without a trace.

Just as he reached out to knock on the door he had been trudging up the stairs to get to, it was pulled open violently and a dark haired man stood in the doorway grinning happily at Sesshoumaru. Calling out a greeting, he reached forward and pulled the slightly bewildered man into the apartment before slamming the door shut. Sesshoumaru found himself embraced roughly by the man before he was pushed into the living room where yet another dark haired man sat on the sofa.

"Look who I found on the doorstep!" the first man said cheerfully.  
"Bankotsu, you are too loud," Sesshoumaru muttered, pushing the man away but unable to resist the very vague and brief smile that crossed his face at the warm welcome.  
"It's about time you came to visit us," the other man said with a teasing grin.  
"I've been busy, Jakotsu."  
"Yeah, yeah. I know all about it from Bankotsu. Searching for the love of your life, right?" Jakotsu asked, waving his hand dismissively.  
Bankotsu waved towards the seating and sat down beside Jakotsu before fixing Sesshoumaru with a serious look. "I assume you haven't found the little lady or you wouldn't be sitting here looking miserable."  
"It's like she's fallen off the face f the planet," Sesshoumaru muttered with a frown as he sat down heavily. "I've been looking for eighteen months and I've not found a trace of her."  
"Don't you think it's time to give up?" Jakotsu asked hesitantly. "Eighteen months is a long time and there's no knowing what could have happened in that time."

While his friends changed the topic of conversation and proceeded to chat happily, Sesshoumaru's mind ran in circles as he was now faced with something he hadn't considered before. Jakotsu had been right. Eighteen months was a very long time. There was a possibility that Rin had found another man to replace him, someone her age and not quite so reclusive and possessive of her. If that was the case then he would simply be causing her problems by suddenly turning up, but despite this, he wanted to see her. He needed to know that she was alive and well and if he couldn't be with her, then he would at least be content with that knowledge. Not knowing what had happened to her was torture.

"Don't worry, Sesh," Bankotsu said cheerfully later that evening. "I'm sure you'll find your girl."  
"And what makes you so certain?"  
The other man shrugged. "Call it a hunch."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sesshoumaru spent a long time searching the town where his friends lived. If he didn't find Rin here, he would give up and try to move on. Bankotsu and Jakotsu had tried their hardest boost his spirits when they realised that he was struggling with the knowledge that there was a very strong possibility that he would not see her again. It was one of the days when Sesshoumaru had left the apartment to search for her alone when he reached the end of his tether and sank down heavily on a bench in a park. Sighing, he leaned back against the bench and covered his face with a hand as he let his mind wander. In his mind he could still picture her face, the way her eyes shone with happiness and for a brief moment he could have sworn he could even remember her voice. Smirking to himself, he began to wonder if he had finally lost his mind. Did he want to see Rin so much that he was hearing her voice in his mind? Opening his eyes slowly, he looked out over the small park and watched a few parents play with their children while two women walked down the path with a pushchair. As he watched, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but wonder if he would ever have a child and quickly pushed the thought aside. The one woman he would have wanted to be the mother to his child had vanished from his life and left not a trace.

A gasp of surprise brought him out of his musings and caused him to look towards the source of the sound. The two women he had spotted earlier were nearby and as he looked closer, he felt as thought his heart had stopped for a moment. The two women were staring at him and as he stared back, there was no doubting the fact that one of the women was Rin. Her hair was now short and barely touched her shoulders, but everything else looked the same. She stared back at him, her eyes wide with shock and her mouth opened and closed a couple of times as though she was trying to find the words to express what she was thinking but failing. The other woman seemed to sense that the air between the two needed to be cleared and wisely left them alone after bidding Rin farewell and promising to call her later that evening. Sesshoumaru watched her leave before turning his attention back to Rin. Aside from the almost comical look of surprise on her face, she didn't seem to have changed at all since he saw her last. His gaze fell to the pushchair that she was gripping as though her life depended on it and when he saw a sleeping child with a mop of brown hair sitting comfortably in it, he had to bite his tongue to hold back the curses that threatened to spill from his lips. Sitting forward he ran a hand through his already tousled hair and sighed. Jakotsu had been right. She had moved on and the child was proof of that. Now came the awkwardness as he wondered what he should say.

"Sesshoumaru?" she asked quietly, sitting beside him and staring at him as though not entirely sure he wasn't a figment of her imagination. "It's really you?"  
"Who else would I be?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.

He never got an answer to his question as Rin had thrown her arms around his neck moments later and buried her face in his shoulder as she wept with joy. Taken aback by the sudden contact, it took Sesshoumaru a moment to react and after a moment he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against him as his mind was flooded with memories from the past when he had done the same. His arms tightened possessively around her as she clutched his shirt, but after a moment he came to his senses and put a respectable distance between them. Rin looking disappointed but soon looked away when the child woke up. Sesshoumaru didn't spare the child a glance and watched Rin tend to it instead before deciding that it was time to speak.

"So this is where you've been for the last eighteen months?" he asked, looking away to watch the people on the far side of the park.  
"No," Rin replied. "I've been in several places, I've only been here for about six months."  
Sesshoumaru sighed and looked at her, deciding not to beat around the bush. "Why did you leave, Rin?"  
"You know why," she said sadly, looking down at her hands. "It was painful for me to watch you push away your family who clearly love you just for me. I was flattered that you would go that far, but I don't want to break up a family."  
"The family was already broken."  
"It could have been fixed if I wasn't there."  
"It was not fixed. I cut all ties with them shortly after you left. I've not heard from them since."  
Rin gaped at him. "You mean I left and you didn't try to patch things up?"  
"Why should I? If they weren't so stubborn, I could have had both them and you. They wouldn't change their minds so I chose you, but it seems your life has changed since then," Sesshoumaru murmured and nodded at the pushchair.  
"You mean Mei?" Rin asked in surprise and looked down at the child who smiled toothlessly at her. "Kagome never told you?"  
Sesshoumaru frowned. "Kagome has not been part of the family for nearly a year. I have heard very little from her. What should she have told me?"  
"I assumed she would tell you, I'm surprised she didn't," Rin said quietly before raising her eyes to meet his intense amber gaze. "Do you know who Mei's father is?"  
"Your current beau?"  
Rin giggled and shook her head before her expression became slightly apprehensive. "No. There is no current beau."  
"Then who and why should I care?"  
"I think you will care when you know," she murmured and reached out to turn the pushchair round so he could see the child. "She's your daughter."

This piece of information floored him and he stared at the child in question as though he could find something about her that would prove Rin was joking, but he found none. Despite the fact that the child had Rin's hair colour and skin tone, when she turned her gaze to him there was no questioning who the child's father was. Amber eyes that were an almost exact replica of his own stared back at him. Sesshoumaru inhaled deeply and looked at Rin who smiled.

"How is this possible?" Sesshoumaru asked bluntly, frowning at Rin.  
"I was 4 weeks pregnant when I left," she said with a sad smile. "Looking back, if I had known that then I wouldn't have left, but I felt like a fool returning to you after abandoning you."  
"So you chose to go through the pregnancy alone and were intending to raise the child without ever telling me I had a daughter?"  
Rin shook her head. "I would have told you, but it's hard trying to adjust to life looking after someone other than myself and especially someone so small."  
"What do you expect me to say to this, Rin?" Sesshoumaru queried, feeling slightly overwhelmed.  
"I don't expect you to say anything. I don't expect you to forgive me to running away and I don't expect you to want any sort of relationship with me. All I ask is that if you truly believe what I've just told you, be a good father to Mei and don't judge her by her mother's mistakes."  
"That's foolish. Why would I judge her by your actions? You are completely different people and she is clearly not capable of making her own decisions yet."  
"You believe that she is your daughter?"  
"Had I not seen her then I would have suspected it was a lie, but I do believe you. I know you would not lie about such an important matter."  
Nodding, Rin looked at the child and then back at Sesshoumaru. "So what happens now?"  
Sesshoumaru looked at her seriously before leaning towards her and capturing her lips in a brief but passionate kiss. "I would very much like it if you would move in with me again. I see no reason why we cannot continue from where we left off."  
"I ran away!"  
"I found you and are you not the one always talking about family? Do you want this child to grow up with parents in separate homes just because her mother ran away from her father?"

Rin paused to think. The offer made sense. She wanted nothing more than to pick up where they left off. The very thought of it was appealling, but she had grown attached to the little town in which she now lived and had no desire to leave.

"Can we stay here?" she asked shyly, looking up at him from beneath her lashes.  
"In this town?"  
"Yes."  
"If that is what you want. I have nothing that requires me to remain in the city. However, I will only consent if you promise never to run away again."  
"I promise," Rin said with a cheerful smile and wrapped her arms around him.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Rin and Sesshoumaru took to parenthood easily and Mei accepted Sesshoumaru as though he had been there from the very beginning. They soon established their family home and their friends from the city paid them regular visits. True to her word, Rin never ran away again and she pushed all thoughts of his family from her mind. After hearing that the couple had a child, Inutaisho had promptly disowned his son but despite this, Izayoi visited the pair from time to time and became the perfect grandmother to Mei. The pair were eager to expand their family and when a son was born three years later, Sesshoumaru realised just how lucky he was. The happiness he felt now would be out of his reach if he had not persisted in looking for Rin and every time he looked at his family he knew that he should be counting his blessings. It was obvious to anyone that the pair were very much in love. Sesshoumaru loved Rin as much as she loved him and he never missed an opportunity to tell her so or to show her how much she meant to him. If the family expanded in the process it wouldn't be a problem as every child born would be loved and considered a blessing.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

**AN:** Apologies for not updating anything for so long. I've been working on this for a while and I hadn't really intended to finish it so soon, but it didn't seem to be going anywhere and as I was writing I just arrived at the conclusion that it was probably best not to drag it on. I struggle with ending stories so hopefully this ending is alright even if a little cliché. I'll be starting work on the next chapter for Far From Home soon and with any luck that'll be updated soon as well. Thank you so much for all the reviews, they're greatly appreciated. I have limited free time so I cannot respond to every review individually, but I do read them and it makes me very happy to know that others enjoy my fics :)

Thank you again!

xMxAx


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